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They describe themselves as the "lifeboat crew". Following losing their jobs when overseas aid was slashed recently, a team of devoted staff chose to establish their own emergency initiative.

Choosing not to "dwell on sadness", an ex-staffer, along with similarly motivated past team members, started efforts to rescue some of the crucial programmes that faced closure after the cuts.

Now, close to 80 initiatives have been rescued by a facilitation effort run by the economist and fellow past agency employees, which has obtained them over $110m in recent backing. The team behind the Project Resource Optimization effort estimates it will assist millions of people, covering many young kids.

Following the office shutdown, financial flows stopped, a large workforce was let go, and projects worldwide either ended suddenly or were barely continuing toward what the leader calls "termination points".

He and some of his colleagues were approached by a foundation that "aimed to figure out how they could maximize the impact of their limited resources".

They built a menu from the cancelled projects, selecting those "delivering the most critical assistance per dollar" and where a fresh backer could realistically get involved and continue the work.

They quickly recognized the need was wider than that original organization and started to contact other potential donors.

"We called ourselves the emergency squad at the beginning," states the economist. "The vessel has been sinking, and there aren't enough lifeboats for each programme to board, and so we're attempting to literally rescue as many young children as we can, secure spots for these lifeboats as possible, via the initiatives that are delivering aid."

The initiative, now operating as part of a research organization, has secured funding for 79 projects on its selection in more than 30 nations. A few have had initial backing returned. Nine were not able to be saved in time.

Funding has come from a blend of philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals. The majority wish to remain unidentified.

"The supporters originate from diverse reasons and perspectives, but the shared sentiment that we've received from them is, 'I feel shocked by what's happening. I really want to find a method to help,'" notes the economist.

"I think that there was an 'aha moment' for the entire team as we began operating on this, that this created an possibility to pivot from the passive sadness, wallowing in the misery of everything that was happening around us, to having something productive to fully engage with."

One project that has found support through Pro is work by the Alliance for International Medical Action to offer support including treatment for severe acute malnutrition, prenatal and postnatal support and crucial pediatric vaccinations in the West African nation.

It is crucial to maintain these operations, says the leader, not only because reinitiating work if they ended would be hugely expensive but also because of how much confidence would be lost in the conflict-ravaged areas if the group pulled out.

"Alima informed us […] 'we are concerned that if we depart, we may never be invited back.'"

Initiatives with extended objectives, such as bolstering healthcare networks, or in additional areas such as education, have remained outside the initiative's scope. It also does not aim to save the projects indefinitely but to "create a window for the groups and, frankly, the wider community, to determine a permanent resolution".

Now that they have obtained backing for each programme on its first selection, the team says it will now prioritize helping more people with "proven, cost-effective interventions".