Launched by the French Red Cross in 2023, the pilot project of the itinerant Humanitarian Repair Lab has sparked hope, enthusiasm, and numerous questions. To better understand the benefits of these mobile repair workshops for people experiencing extreme poverty, Louise Brosset, the project’s initiator and coordinator for the French Red Cross in Montpellier, initiated a research study as part of the Foundation’s Bénévo’Lab1 program. Jérémie Grojnowski, a PhD in visual anthropology specializing in technological alternatives, has been exploring these questions through his ongoing study titled “Technical Autonomy and Psychosocial Empowerment,” conducted with the Foundation’s support.
Louise Brosset wanted to give scientific structure, concepts, and explanations to the countless benefits observed by repair workshop participants when they repair items of personal or practical value. Her request laid the foundation for Jérémie Grojnowski’s current research. We spoke with both of them to better understand the link between Louise’s humanitarian initiative and Jérémie’s academic work in the social sciences. Read the interview with Louise Brosset below.
Can you describe the Humanitarian Repair Lab project ?
Louise Brosset : Repair Lab is part of the French Red Cross’s “reaching out” approach. It’s a mobile repair workshop that travels, using a van, a workbench cart, or even a backpack, to locations where people experiencing extreme poverty live, such as squats, camps, or informal settlements. This mobile setup involves a team of three to six volunteers and focuses on small mechanical or electronic repairs, as well as mending clothes.
The primary aim is to address immediate material needs. In situations of displacement or homelessness, certain items, like a phone, become essential. Other objects hold sentimental value as they connect their owners to loved ones and their past.
But repair work also opens the door to many other possibilities. People in precarious situations often feel dependent on aid organizations, which can be distressing. Repairing an item with the help of a volunteer can reduce or even eliminate this sense of dependence. It creates a more equal relationship. The repair process fosters an atmosphere conducive to conversation, the expression of needs, and open discussion. For individuals who have experienced trauma, are unaware of their rights, or are in a fragile mental state, this is invaluable.
What led you to seek the assistance of a researcher through the Bénévo’Lab program ?
LB : In developing the Repair Lab, we looked at similar initiatives, including Repair Cafés, which were initially inspired by a desire for technical autonomy and sustainability. We were particularly impressed by a Repair Café set up in a Ugandan refugee camp by the organization Community Creativity for Development (CC4D). Participants often praised its positive effects, especially in easing inter-community tensions. In both refugee camps and European city centers, repair activities seem to elicit the same symbolic satisfaction. Participants frequently describe it as “magical” or “hard to explain.” We decided to involve a researcher through Bénévo’Lab not only to better understand this phenomenon and expand the academic literature on the subject but also to benefit from an external perspective to assist our operational teams, who often grapple with these questions without clear answers.
Why did you choose Jérémie Grojnowski, a visual anthropologist, to address your research question ?
LB : Formulating the research question and framing the project already required considerable internal reflection. Initially, we thought the topic was primarily linked to mental health. However, we received responses from researchers with a wide range of expertise in different social science fields, including migration. We ultimately chose Jérémie Grojnowski, a visual anthropologist, for several reasons. His use of film as a research tool to illustrate social phenomena was particularly appealing. This approach aligned with our desire not to limit the research to the academic world. Additionally, Jérémie had prior experience with Fablabs, Low Tech initiatives, and movements advocating for greater technical autonomy—an obvious connection to our inquiries.
What insights and concrete outcomes do you hope to gain from this initiative ?
LB : The research project is still underway. So far, many interviews and field observations have been conducted with both volunteers and workshop participants. We are now at the stages of reviewing and analyzing the data. Research takes time.
However, our regular discussions with Jérémie have already revealed recurring patterns, allowing us to identify mechanisms at work. The satisfaction and sense of well-being experienced during repairs are often tied to reclaiming a sense of purpose and utility, which people in exile or homelessness are often deprived of. Jérémie is working on an adapted version of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs for these populations, highlighting the essential needs that the act of repair helps fulfill. The goal is to develop an analytical framework and measure the psychosocial impact of repair activities. This would help volunteers adopt the right approach and deepen their understanding of the processes they facilitate. The research will result in an academic publication, but we also anticipate practical recommendations. The filmed aspect of the research brings its own value by capturing subtle phenomena: the relationship with tools, the calming nature of repair work, and the bonds formed with volunteers. Finally, the research is already helping to formalize, strengthen, or even challenge some of our intuitions about the liberating effect of work and the benefits of technical autonomy-helping people regain independence, pass on knowledge, and reconnect with their personal histories through hands-on activity.
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[1] Bénévo’Lab is a research programme of the French Red Cross Foundation, initiated by the volunteers (paid and unpaid) of the French Red Cross. The idea is to enable them to benefit from scientific support in their reflections on their missions.
Top Photo: © Christophe Hargoues
