🔗 Share this article

They refer to themselves as the "lifeboat crew". After being let go when overseas aid underwent reductions earlier this year, a group of devoted staff chose to launch their own rescue package.

Choosing not to "remain in despair", a former economist, along with similarly motivated former agency staff, began endeavors to save some of the vital initiatives that were threatened with termination after the reductions.

At present, almost 80 programmes have been rescued by a connector platform run by the economist and other former agency employees, which has found them in excess of $110 million in new funding. The collective behind the Pro initiative calculates it will assist millions of people, including many infants and toddlers.

After the termination of operations, spending was frozen, numerous staff lost their jobs, and international programmes either stopped abruptly or were struggling toward what Rosenbaum describes as "drop-dead dates".

He and some of his colleagues were contacted by a philanthropic organization that "sought to figure out how they could maximize the impact of their constrained funds".

They developed a menu from the ended initiatives, selecting those "offering the most critical assistance per dollar" and where a fresh backer could realistically get involved and continue the work.

They quickly realised the demand was more extensive than that initial organization and began to approach other potential donors.

"We called ourselves the lifeboat crew at the outset," explains the leader. "The ship has been collapsing, and there are insufficient rescue vessels for each programme to board, and so we're attempting to literally rescue as many babies as we can, get as many on to these support channels as possible, via the projects that are providing support."

The project, now functioning as part of a global development thinktank, has secured funding for 79 projects on its list in in excess of 30 regions. A few have had initial backing returned. Several others were not able to be saved in time.

Financial support has come from a mix of philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals. Most choose to be unnamed.

"They originate from very different backgrounds and opinions, but the unifying theme that we've received from them is, 'I am shocked by what's unfolding. I truly desire to find a method to intervene,'" says the economist.

"I believe that there was an 'lightbulb moment' for all of us as we started working on this, that this provided an possibility to shift from the ice-cream on the couch, dwelling on the gloom of everything that was unfolding around us, to having something productive to really sink our teeth into."

One project that has secured backing through Pro is work by the the medical alliance to provide services encompassing treatment for severe acute malnutrition, maternity services and vital childhood vaccines in the West African nation.

It is vital to keep such programmes going, explains Rosenbaum, not only because restarting operations if they ceased would be hugely expensive but also because of how much trust would be lost in the zones of instability if the alliance withdrew.

"The organization told us […] 'we are concerned that if we depart, we may never be invited back.'"

Projects with extended objectives, such as strengthening health systems, or in additional areas such as schooling, have not been part of the initiative's scope. It also does not aim to maintain initiatives permanently but to "buy time for the organizations and, honestly, the broader ecosystem, to figure out a sustainable answer".

Now that they have obtained support for all projects on its initial list, Pro states it will now focus on assisting additional individuals with "established, economical measures".