ThaiNGO

Terms of Reference-USAID Achieve

(Impact study on effects of Life Skills for Success Approach in Thailand’s Deep South)

1. Introduction

Save the Children is the leading global independent organization for children. Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach.

2. Background and Context

Since 2004, Thailand’s Deep South has seen a resurgence of ethno-nationalist conflict between Thai Buddhists and Patani-Malays. The drivers of this conflict are rooted in the grievances of Patani-Malays stemming from perceived systematic state discrimination as well as economic inequities such as a lack of youth opportunities. Through USAID Achieve, Save the Children (SC) worked with local partners and stakeholders to implement a People-to-People (P2P) model for the vocational training (VT) of vulnerable youth in the Deep South of Thailand. The vocational training was complemented with SCI’s Life Skills for Success approach, aiming to build transferable life skills of vulnerable youth. Under the assumption that equipping vulnerable youth with transferable life skills will contribute to greater prospects of securing decent work and adequate income generation, SC has focused on 5 sets of transferable life skills: communication skills, higher order thinking skills, positive self-concept, self-control and social skills.

The VT intervention is implemented by local VT colleges in collaboration with local CSOs. All local partners are trained on the P2P approach, as well as technical and organizational capacity building based on prior needs assessments. This P2P approach is integrated at all levels: from opportunities created for inter-communal contact and cooperation between Key People in the stakeholder steering group (SG) and program design. It is further emphasized through the specially developed ‘collaborative learning’ methodology and Life Skills modules offered to Patani-Malay and Thai Buddhist youth in the VT program. As a result, youth team-building activities foster self-reflection and bonding between groups, while a Small Enterprise Development Fund (SED) will encourage innovation and inter-communal collaboration. The most vulnerable target groups under the project include vulnerable and uneducated youth aged 15 to 30 years old with a focus on vulnerable women and adolescent girls.

3. Scope of Study

Save the Children Thailand aims to conduct external study on the impact of the Life Skills for Success approach in Thailand’s Deep South, following over 4 years of implementation of the approach. The aim of the study is to generate and document substantive evidence-based knowledge on the effectiveness and efficiency of the approach, as well as supporting and limiting factors and usefulness of the approach in addressing the low access to decent work for vulnerable youth. Furthermore, study will help in identifying and documenting good practices, lessons learned and unintended consequences of the intervention. This study is intended to assess the extent of support that has taken place in the lives of the vulnerable youth as primary target group throughout the lifecycle of the project. The overall objectives of this consultancy include:

Evaluate effectiveness and efficiency, as well as impact made through the implementation of youth capacity building for employment, with special focus on transferable life skills component, including the long-term effects for youth in their transition to adulthood.

Assess any unintended consequences and the factors that influenced change for youth during the duration of the intervention, and depict the influence that these factors generated for the vulnerable youth.

Generate key statistical evidence aiming to present result of different support pathways, disagregated according to different level of intervention and taking into account specific ethnic and gender characteristics of the beneficiaries.

Consolidate key success stories and lessons learned (what work and did not work) from the intervention on; Improved ability for the most vulnerable households in target communities to acquire decent work, Specific benefits that the most vulnerable youth, especially women, received in order to utilize economic opportunities

Capture gaps, challenges and barriers that intervention has faced in both operational sense and results achievement, including the impact suffered by the beneficiaries and Provide recommendation to SCT for approach adaptation and scale up.

The Evaluation team will be required to:

1. Conduct data validation workshop with implementing partners, local sub-grantees, and relevant stakeholders to crosscheck the quality and correctness of the data collection.
2. Propose the distribution process in order to share evaluation findings with each of the different stakeholders in the table above, particularly outlining how reporting back to communities, beneficiaries and children will be conducted in an accessible and child friendly manner.

4. Study Team and Selection Criteria

To be considered, the Evaluation team members together must have demonstrated skills, expertise and experience in:

• Individual consultant or a Team of consultants
• Masters’ degree in Social sciences, youth or development studies, economics, education, or relevant area to the project is preferred; experience in studies concerning youth development programmes, life skills and soft skills programmes, as well as youth employment programmes related studies will be considered an asset. 
• Proven experience in data collection and reporting high quality project evaluations, assessments, studies, etc.
• Proven ability and track record conducting ethical and inclusive research with vulnerable populations while ensuring rigorous ethics, integrity, and safeguarding especially in migrant setting;
• Ability to work independently and meet deadlines with no continuous oversight
• Language proficiencies required include: English and Thai. For purpose of the data collection process, the proposal needs to clearly demonstrate how it will enable Pattani-Malay speaking youth to comfortably participate.
• Experience in using online applications to conduct data collection process is preferred

There is a high expectation that:

• Members (or a proportion) of the evaluation team have a track record of working together.
• The team has the ability to commit to the terms of the project, and have adequate and available skilled resources to dedicate to this evaluation over the period.
• The team has the ability to commit to the terms of the project, and have adequate and available skilled resources to dedicate to this evaluation over the period.
• The team has a strong track record of working flexibly to accommodate changes as the project is implemented.

Applications for the consultancy should include:

• Expression of interest: stating candidate skill and experience suitable for the consultancy (max 1 page)
• Technical and financial proposal: Outline of assessment framework and methods, proposed timeframe, work plan and budget (max 4 pages).
• CV of proposed individual/s and one piece of evidence of similar study carried out previously

5. HOW TO APPLY

If you are interested in this assessment, please submit your application (by November 13, 2022 to: THA_Procurement_BKK@savethechildren.org  

If you may need further inquiry or full TOR. Please contact Khun Nisfu nisfu.siribunlong@savethechildren.org Tel: 0830647805

Closing Date               :      19 April 2026 (11:59 PM, Bangkok Time)