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They refer to themselves as the "salvage squad". After their sudden termination when foreign assistance faced cuts recently, a team of dedicated staff opted to create their own rescue package.

Choosing not to "wallow in misery", a former economist, along with like-minded ex-colleagues, initiated efforts to save some of the vital initiatives that were at risk after the reductions.

Currently, almost 80 projects have been rescued by a connector platform operated by the leader and fellow past team members, which has secured them over $110m in recent backing. The group behind the resource optimization project initiative projects it will assist 40 million people, including many young kids.

Following the termination of operations, funds were halted, numerous staff lost their jobs, and projects worldwide either stopped abruptly or were barely continuing toward what Rosenbaum terms "final deadlines".

The former staffer and a few co-workers were contacted by a foundation that "aimed to understand how they could optimize the utilization of their limited resources".

They developed a list from the ended initiatives, pinpointing 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 original foundation and commenced to contact additional possible supporters.

"We referred to ourselves as the emergency squad at the start," says Rosenbaum. "The ship has been failing, and there aren't enough emergency options for each programme to board, and so we're attempting to truly protect as many infants as we can, secure spots for these support channels as attainable, via the projects that are delivering aid."

Pro, now operating as part of a international policy center, has obtained financial support for numerous programmes on its roster in over thirty countries. Three have had prior support returned. A number were not able to be saved in time.

Financial support has been provided by a mix of philanthropic foundations and private benefactors. Many wish to remain unnamed.

"These donors come from diverse motivations and viewpoints, but the shared sentiment that we've encountered from them is, 'People are shocked by what's going on. I sincerely wish to discover an approach to step in,'" notes Rosenbaum.

"I believe that there was an 'eureka moment' for everyone involved as we began operating on this, that this created an possibility to transition from the passive sadness, wallowing in the distress of everything that was occurring around us, to having a constructive endeavor to really sink our teeth into."

A specific initiative that has found funding through the effort is operations by the Alliance for International Medical Action to deliver care including nutritional rehabilitation, maternal health care and crucial pediatric vaccinations in the West African nation.

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

"They told us […] 'we're very worried that if we walk away, we may lose our place.'"

Initiatives with future-focused aims, such as strengthening health systems, or in additional areas such as education, have been excluded from Pro's work. It also does not seek to preserve programmes forever but to "create a window for the groups and, honestly, the larger network, to devise a longer-term solution".

After securing support for each programme on its initial list, Pro says it will now focus on assisting more people with "proven, cost-effective interventions".