The Do it Yourself (DIY) movement can sometimes, just sometimes, seem like it exists for the sake of itself. You know, just to prove you can do-it-yourself (build a radio, build a canoe, make an electrical circuit). But Advance Aid defies that stereotype. And we think it is a fantastic solution.

“DIY” is music to crafters’ and global health workers’ ears alike. Here, a handful of clever innovators have developed a series of simple tools designed to improve humanitarian conditions around the globe, with minimal training and expense.

These clever devices created in the field, for the field, improve access to clean water, diagnostic technology, renewable energy, communications, and of course, health care. Among them is a [DIY AID-supply project](http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/26/africa-innovations-transform-continent) designed to make Africa self-sufficient in generating and distributing its own emergency relief supplies.