🔗 Share this article

These individuals refer to themselves as the "salvage squad". After being let go when foreign assistance was slashed earlier this year, a group of committed professionals opted to establish their own rescue package.

Declining to "dwell on sadness", a former economist, along with similarly motivated former agency staff, started endeavors to save some of the essential programmes that were at risk after the reductions.

At present, close to 80 projects have been rescued by a matchmaking service managed by the economist and other former team members, which has found them over $110m in fresh financial support. The collective behind the resource optimization project initiative projects it will assist millions of people, covering many young kids.

Following the office shutdown, funds were halted, a large workforce was let go, and projects worldwide either stopped abruptly or were barely continuing toward what the economist calls "final deadlines".

Rosenbaum and a few co-workers were approached by a philanthropic organization that "wanted to determine how they could make the best use of their finite budgets".

They created a menu from the ended initiatives, selecting those "offering the most life-saving aid per dollar" and where a fresh backer could feasibly get involved and keep things going.

They quickly recognized the requirement was broader than that initial foundation and began to contact further funding sources.

"We dubbed ourselves the lifeboat crew at the outset," states the leader. "The ship has been sinking, and there are too few lifeboats for every project to get on, and so we're attempting to truly protect as many babies as we can, secure spots for these support channels as attainable, via the initiatives that are providing support."

Pro, now working as part of a research organization, has obtained financial support for seventy-nine initiatives on its selection in more than 30 regions. A few have had prior support restored. A number were not able to be saved in time.

Backing has been provided by a mix of philanthropic foundations and affluent donors. Most prefer to stay unnamed.

"These donors come from diverse backgrounds and opinions, but the common thread that we've received from them is, 'I feel shocked by what's happening. I truly desire to figure out a way to help,'" notes the economist.

"In my view that there was an 'lightbulb moment' for the entire team as we started working on this, that this provided an chance to pivot from the inactivity and despair, remaining in the gloom of everything that was unfolding around us, to having something productive to deeply commit to."

An example programme that has obtained backing through Pro is operations by the Alliance for International Medical Action to deliver care encompassing treatment for severe acute malnutrition, maternity services and crucial pediatric vaccinations in Mali.

It is essential to maintain these operations, says the leader, not only because resuming activities if they stopped would be prohibitively pricey but also because of how much confidence would be eroded in the conflict-ravaged areas if the alliance pulled out.

"The organization informed us […] 'we're very worried that if we withdraw, we may be unable to return.'"

Projects with future-focused aims, such as strengthening health systems, or in different sectors such as schooling, have not been part of Pro's work. It also is not trying to maintain initiatives permanently but to "provide a buffer for the entities and, truthfully, the broader ecosystem, to figure out a permanent resolution".

Now that they have obtained funding for all projects on its first selection, the team announces it will now concentrate on reaching more people with "established, economical measures".