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The group call themselves as the "lifeboat crew". Following losing their jobs when overseas aid was slashed recently, a collective of devoted workers decided to create their own support program.

Choosing not to "remain in despair", an ex-staffer, along with similarly motivated former agency staff, started actions to save some of the crucial programmes that were at risk after the funding decreases.

Currently, nearly eighty programmes have been saved by a connector platform operated by the leader and additional ex- agency employees, which has secured them in excess of $110 million in new funding. The collective behind the resource optimization project effort projects it will help forty million people, covering many children under five.

After the agency closure, spending was frozen, thousands of employees were laid off, and projects worldwide either came to a shuddering halt or were left limping toward what the economist describes as "final deadlines".

Rosenbaum and some of his colleagues were reached out to by a philanthropic organization that "sought to understand how they could maximize the impact of their limited resources".

They built a list from the ended initiatives, identifying those "providing the most vital support per dollar" and where a fresh backer could realistically step in and maintain operations.

They quickly understood the demand was broader than that first foundation and started to approach other potential donors.

"We dubbed ourselves the lifeboat crew at the start," says the economist. "The ship has been failing, and there aren't enough rescue vessels for every project to be saved, and so we're trying to actually rescue as many young children as we can, place as many onto these lifeboats as attainable, via the programmes that are offering assistance."

Pro, now operating as part of a international policy center, has secured funding for numerous programmes on its selection in more than 30 nations. Three have had prior support returned. A number were unable to be rescued in time.

Backing has originated from a blend of charitable organizations and private benefactors. Many wish to remain unnamed.

"These donors originate from varied reasons and perspectives, but the unifying theme that we've encountered from them is, 'I feel shocked by what's going on. I truly desire to discover an approach to intervene,'" notes Rosenbaum.

"I believe that there was an 'lightbulb moment' for the entire team as we started working on this, that this created an chance to transition from the ice-cream on the couch, wallowing in the gloom of everything that was unfolding around us, to having a meaningful task to fully engage with."

One project that has obtained support through the effort is operations by the Alliance for International Medical Action to deliver care encompassing care for malnourished children, prenatal and postnatal support and essential immunizations for kids in the country.

It is vital to maintain these operations, explains the leader, not only because reinitiating work if they stopped would be extremely costly but also because of how much trust would be eroded in the war-torn regions if the alliance withdrew.

"The organization shared […] 'we are concerned that if we depart, we may never be invited back.'"

Projects with longer-term goals, such as bolstering healthcare networks, or in other fields such as education, have remained outside the project's focus. It also does not seek to save the projects indefinitely but to "create a window for the organizations and, truthfully, the wider community, to devise a longer-term solution".

After securing support for each programme on its initial list, the team states it will now focus on reaching more people with "proven, cost-effective interventions".