A group of former USAID employees, who lost their jobs after the Trump administration cut US overseas aid earlier this year, have launched a rescue operation that has secured $110m (£82m) for nearly 80 development programmes. The initiative, named the Project Resource Optimization (Pro) scheme, is estimated to benefit 40 million people, including many children under five.
Rob Rosenbaum, a former USAID economist, and his colleagues began matching cancelled projects with new donors after a foundation approached them seeking advice on allocating limited resources. They created a menu of life-saving interventions where new funders could step in. 'We called ourselves the lifeboat crew at the beginning,' Rosenbaum said. 'The ship has been sinking, and we’re trying to literally save as many babies as we can.'
Pro, now operating under the Center for Global Development thinktank, has secured funding for 79 projects across more than 30 countries. Three projects have had USAID funding restored, but nine could not be saved in time. Donors include philanthropic foundations and wealthy individuals, most of whom wish to remain anonymous, driven by horror at the cuts.
One rescued project is the Alliance for International Medical Action (Alima) in Mali, providing malnutrition treatment, maternity services, and childhood vaccines. Rosenbaum noted that restarting such programmes after a halt would be hugely expensive and risk losing trust in conflict-affected areas. Pro focuses on short-term rescue to 'buy time' for longer-term solutions, rather than supporting longer-term goals like education.
The team, who initially 'wallowed in misery' after losing their jobs, now find purpose in their work. Rosenbaum said the crisis created an opportunity to pivot to something productive. Pro plans to expand its efforts to reach more people with cost-effective interventions.
