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The group describe themselves as the "emergency rescue team". Following losing their jobs when international support faced cuts earlier this year, a team of devoted workers chose to create their own emergency initiative.

Refusing to "remain in despair", an ex-staffer, along with similarly motivated former agency staff, initiated actions to preserve some of the essential programmes that were at risk after the funding decreases.

At present, almost 80 projects have been preserved by a matchmaking service run by the leader and fellow past aid staff, which has found them in excess of $110 million in recent backing. The team behind the resource optimization project program calculates it will benefit millions of people, covering many children under five.

Following the termination of operations, financial flows stopped, numerous staff lost their jobs, and projects worldwide either came to a shuddering halt or were barely continuing toward what Rosenbaum terms "final deadlines".

He and several team members were approached by a charitable entity that "wanted to understand how they could optimize the utilization of their constrained funds".

They built a selection from the terminated programmes, selecting those "providing the most vital support per dollar" and where a new funder could practically intervene and maintain operations.

They rapidly recognized the demand was broader than that first organization and started to approach further funding sources.

"We dubbed ourselves the rescue team at the start," explains the leader. "The ship has been failing, and there are insufficient rescue vessels for each programme to board, and so we're trying to actually rescue as many babies as we can, get as many on to these lifeboats as attainable, via the projects that are offering assistance."

The project, now working as part of a global development thinktank, has garnered backing for numerous programmes on its roster in in excess of 30 countries. Several have had initial backing reinstated. Nine were not able to be saved in time.

Financial support has originated from a combination of philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals. Most wish to remain unnamed.

"These donors come from very different backgrounds and opinions, but the common thread that we've encountered from them is, 'I am shocked by what's going on. I really want to discover an approach to intervene,'" notes Rosenbaum.

"I think that there was an 'eureka moment' for the entire team as we began operating on this, that this opened up an chance to shift from the ice-cream on the couch, dwelling on the gloom of everything that was unfolding around us, to having a constructive endeavor to deeply commit to."

An example programme that has found support through Pro is work by the Alima to provide services such as nutritional rehabilitation, maternal health care and essential immunizations for kids in the West African nation.

It is crucial to continue these initiatives, explains the leader, not only because restarting operations if they ceased would be extremely costly but also because of how much reliance would be eroded in the conflict-ravaged areas if the organization left.

"Alima informed us […] 'we are concerned that if we depart, we may lose our place.'"

Programmes with longer-term goals, such as strengthening health systems, or in different sectors such as schooling, have not been part of Pro's work. It also does not seek to maintain initiatives permanently but to "create a window for the organizations and, frankly, the broader ecosystem, to determine a permanent resolution".

Now that they have obtained funding for all projects on its first selection, the initiative says it will now prioritize assisting further populations with "proven, cost-effective interventions".