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These individuals refer to themselves as the "lifeboat crew". After losing their jobs when international support was slashed earlier this year, a team of dedicated workers decided to establish their own rescue package.

Choosing not to "wallow in misery", Rob Rosenbaum, along with equally dedicated past team members, started efforts to rescue some of the vital projects that faced closure after the cuts.

Currently, nearly eighty programmes have been saved by a matchmaking service operated by the leader and fellow past agency employees, which has secured them more than $110 million in new funding. The collective behind the resource optimization project initiative projects it will benefit 40 million people, covering many children under five.

Following the office shutdown, funds were halted, a large workforce was let go, and global initiatives either stopped abruptly or were left limping toward what the leader describes as "termination points".

He and a few co-workers were approached by a foundation that "sought to figure out how they could make the best use of their finite budgets".

They developed a menu from the terminated programmes, selecting those "offering the most vital support per dollar" and where a alternative supporter could practically get involved and keep things going.

They rapidly understood the requirement was broader than that initial foundation and started to reach out to additional possible supporters.

"We called ourselves the emergency squad at the beginning," states Rosenbaum. "The ship has been failing, and there aren't enough lifeboats for all initiatives to get on, and so we're striving to actually rescue as many young children as we can, secure spots for these rescue options as possible, via the programmes that are offering assistance."

The project, now working as part of a research organization, has obtained financial support for numerous programmes on its selection in in excess of 30 countries. Several have had prior support returned. A number were could not be preserved in time.

Backing has come from a combination of non-profit entities and affluent donors. Many prefer to stay anonymous.

"They originate from varied motivations and viewpoints, but the common thread that we've received from them is, 'I am shocked by what's going on. I truly desire to discover an approach to intervene,'" notes Rosenbaum.

"I think that there was an 'aha moment' for the entire team as we started working on this, that this created an opportunity to shift from the inactivity and despair, wallowing in the misery of everything that was occurring around us, to having a constructive endeavor to deeply commit to."

A specific initiative that has secured funding through the initiative is activities by the the medical alliance to offer support such as treatment for severe acute malnutrition, maternal health care and crucial pediatric vaccinations in Mali.

It is vital to maintain these operations, says the leader, not only because reinitiating work if they ceased would be prohibitively pricey but also because of how much confidence would be lost in the conflict-ravaged areas if the group withdrew.

"They told us […] 'we're very worried that if we walk away, we may never be invited back.'"

Initiatives with longer-term goals, such as strengthening health systems, or in different sectors such as education, have been excluded from the initiative's scope. It also does not aim to preserve programmes forever but to "provide a buffer for the groups and, frankly, the broader ecosystem, to determine a longer-term solution".

Now that they have obtained backing for every initiative on its initial list, Pro says it will now concentrate on reaching more people with "tested, efficient solutions".