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The group refer to themselves as the "salvage squad". Following their sudden termination when overseas aid underwent reductions earlier this year, a group of committed workers chose to launch their own support program.

Declining to "dwell on sadness", a former economist, along with similarly motivated former agency staff, initiated endeavors to save some of the vital initiatives that faced closure after the reductions.

Currently, nearly eighty projects have been rescued by a matchmaking service operated by the leader and additional ex- aid staff, which has obtained them over $110m in recent backing. The collective behind the resource optimization project initiative projects it will assist 40 million people, encompassing many children under five.

After the agency closure, financial flows stopped, thousands of employees were laid off, and global initiatives either ended suddenly or were barely continuing toward what the leader terms "termination points".

He and some of his colleagues were contacted by a charitable entity that "aimed to understand how they could maximize the impact of their constrained funds".

They created a menu from the cancelled projects, identifying those "delivering the most life-saving aid per dollar" and where a alternative supporter could realistically get involved and keep things going.

They soon recognized the demand was more extensive than that original foundation and began to contact further funding sources.

"We dubbed ourselves the emergency squad at the beginning," says Rosenbaum. "The ship has been collapsing, and there aren't enough rescue vessels for every project to board, and so we're striving to actually protect as many infants as we can, place as many onto these support channels as feasible, via the initiatives that are offering assistance."

Pro, now operating as part of a global development thinktank, has secured funding for 79 projects on its selection in more than 30 regions. A few have had initial backing restored. A number were unable to be rescued in time.

Backing has come from a mix of philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals. The majority prefer to stay unnamed.

"They originate from very different reasons and perspectives, but the shared sentiment that we've received from them is, 'People are horrified by what's going on. I sincerely wish to find a method to intervene,'" notes the economist.

"I believe that there was an 'eureka moment' for the entire team as we started working on this, that this provided an chance to transition from the passive sadness, remaining in the distress of everything that was occurring around us, to having something productive to deeply commit to."

One project that has obtained backing through Pro is work by the Alima to offer support such as nutritional rehabilitation, prenatal and postnatal support and vital childhood vaccines in the West African nation.

It is essential to maintain these operations, says Rosenbaum, not only because resuming activities if they ceased would be hugely expensive but also because of how much reliance would be eroded in the zones of instability if the organization withdrew.

"The organization shared […] 'there is fear that if we withdraw, we may lose our place.'"

Initiatives with extended objectives, such as improving medical infrastructure, or in other fields such as schooling, have remained outside Pro's work. It also does not seek to preserve programmes forever but to "provide a buffer for the entities and, truthfully, the broader ecosystem, to determine a permanent resolution".

Now that they have obtained backing for every initiative on its initial list, the team says it will now concentrate on helping additional individuals with "proven, cost-effective interventions".