WeRepair

A partnership coordinated by Buinho with two rural makerspaces, in Manzat (Auvergne) and Cuenca (Castilla-La Mancha). It started from a shared belief: Repair Cafés are not just an urban thing — in a village, repairing together cuts waste, brings generations together and is a form of lifelong learning.

In Messejana, a makerspace until then used for children became the «Buinho +65 Repair Café»: seniors were trained in troubleshooting and repair and became volunteers at the following Repair Cafés. Alongside, children had their own Junior Repair Café, fixing toys. In Cuenca, a mobile FabLab started travelling to isolated villages; in Manzat, a network of Repair Cafés grew with the neighbouring villages. Twelve European makers visited the three communities in a pilot mobility scheme for repairers.

The project left a 16-minute documentary and a guide to organising Repair Cafés. It is the origin of Buinho's repair work and of the Repair Cafés that exist in Baixo Alentejo today.

• Buinho: 5 community Repair Cafés and 16 repair and electronics workshops for teachers and residents
• 2 learning centres for seniors — Messejana and Castro Verde
• 3 Junior Repair Cafés for families
• 12 European makers on mobility across the three territories

Partners