'We called ourselves the lifeboat crew': How laid-off aid workers started a rescue initiative 'to save as many babies as we can'.

The group call themselves as the "emergency rescue team". After being let go when international support underwent reductions earlier this year, a group of dedicated professionals chose to establish their own emergency initiative.

Declining to "remain in despair", an ex-staffer, along with like-minded former agency staff, initiated efforts to save some of the essential programmes that were threatened with termination after the funding decreases.

Now, nearly eighty initiatives have been rescued by a facilitation effort run by Rosenbaum and additional ex- team members, which has secured them in excess of $110 million in fresh financial support. The collective behind the Project Resource Optimization effort estimates it will help millions of people, covering many infants and toddlers.

After the office shutdown, financial flows stopped, a large workforce was let go, and global initiatives either came to a shuddering halt or were struggling toward what the economist calls "termination points".

The former staffer and some of his colleagues were approached by a charitable entity that "sought to figure out how they could maximize the impact 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 new funder could feasibly step in and maintain operations.

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

"We called ourselves the emergency squad at the start," states the economist. "The organization has been sinking, and there aren't enough emergency options for each programme to board, and so we're attempting to literally save as many babies as we can, get as many on to these rescue options as feasible, 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 list in in excess of 30 countries. A few have had original funding reinstated. Nine were not able to be saved in time.

Backing has originated from a blend of philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals. The majority prefer to stay anonymous.

"The supporters come from very different reasons and perspectives, but the common thread that we've heard from them is, 'I feel shocked by what's unfolding. I sincerely wish to discover an approach to help,'" notes the leader.

"In my view that there was an 'aha moment' for all of us as we began operating on this, that this provided an chance to pivot from the inactivity and despair, dwelling on the distress of everything that was unfolding around us, to having something productive to deeply commit to."

A specific initiative that has found funding through the initiative is activities by the Alima to provide services encompassing treatment for severe acute malnutrition, prenatal and postnatal support and vital childhood vaccines in the West African nation.

It is vital to maintain these operations, states the leader, not only because restarting operations if they ceased would be hugely expensive but also because of how much trust would be eroded in the zones of instability if the organization withdrew.

"They told us […] 'we are concerned that if we withdraw, we may never be invited back.'"

Initiatives with future-focused aims, such as improving medical infrastructure, or in other fields such as education, have not been part of Pro's work. It also does not seek to maintain initiatives permanently but to "provide a buffer for the entities and, honestly, the broader ecosystem, to figure out a permanent resolution".

After securing backing for every initiative on its original roster, the team announces it will now focus on reaching more people with "tested, efficient solutions".