Mamadou Baro is a faculty member of BARA (Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology) which is responsible for many successes in research and outreach presences in sub-Saharan Africa, primarily Senegal, Mauritania, Niger and Tanzania. The African Partnerships Initiative has developed an innovative platform for channeling international assistance to poor Africans in rural and urban settings. BARA plans to create linkages with African partners, including government agencies and universities, and to use these networks to assess the needs of local communities, to promote local priorities for endogenous development, and to engage in problem-solving research that supports development interventions in these communities. The volunteer team for Niger Direct recently completed an assessment of the impacts of the food crisis in the Tanout region of Niger and selected the village of Yighlaf as a partner community. Niger Direct provided $5,000 in cash assistance to 61 households in Yighlaf to support the purchase of food and livestock.