Baseline Survey Consultant

About the Company

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

Baseline Survey Supporting Refugees' Well-Being, Resilience, and Self-Reliance through Inclusive and Systems-Oriented Access to Essential Services in Nine Refugee Camps, Thailand

• Type of Study: Baseline Survey (external)
• Project Title: Supporting Refugees' Well-Being, Resilience, and Self-Reliance through Inclusive and Systems-Oriented Access to Essential Services in Nine Refugee Camps, Thailand
• Project Start Date: March 2026
• Project End Date: 36 months from start date
• Project Duration: 36 months
• Project Location: Nine refugee camps along the Thailand–Myanmar border: Tak, Mae Hong Son, Kanchanaburi and Ratchaburi provinces, Thailand
• Sectors: Health, WASH, Disability-Inclusive Social Support, Education, Economic Inclusion & Livelihoods, Protection
• Donor: European Union (DG INTPA)
• Lead Applicant: International Rescue Committee (IRC) Thailand
• Consortium Partners: Malteser International (MI), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), Save the Children Thailand (SCT); Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA); Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR)
• Final Beneficiaries: 104,282 Myanmar refugees (54,033 male; 50,249 female) across nine refugee camps
• Overall Objective: To contribute to improved well-being, resilience and self-reliance of Myanmar refugees through inclusive and systems-oriented access to essential services, supporting a gradual transition towards sustainable and locally anchored solutions.

Introduction

This document sets out the Terms of Reference for an external baseline survey to be conducted at the inception of the above-named action, funded by the European Union (DG INTPA) and implemented by a consortium led by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) Thailand, with Save the Children Thailand (SCT), Humanity and Inclusion (HI), the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), and the Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR) as co-implementing partners. The survey will establish quantitative and qualitative baseline values for the outcome and impact level indicators defined in the project logframe, against which mid-term and endline evaluations will measure change. The action covers four interconnected thematic areas including Health, WASH and Disability-Inclusive Social Support; Education Continuity and Transition; Economic Inclusion and Livelihoods; and Protection Systems across nine refugee camps situated in Tak, Kanchanaburi, Mae Hong Son, and Ratchaburi provinces. The baseline survey is an external, independent exercise to be commissioned by IRC in the first three months (inception phase) of the project. The consultant(s) selected will be expected to design and implement a rigorous, gender-responsive, and disability-inclusive mixed-methods study, produce a quality-assured dataset, and deliver a final report with baseline values for all TBD logframe indicators. The process, methodology, and deliverables are described in detail below.

Background and Context

Country and Displacement Context

Thailand currently hosts over 104,000 refugees from Myanmar across nine camps along its border, reflecting a 31% increase since the 2021 military coup. The majority of refugees are Karen and Karenni; many have been displaced for more than three decades and nearly half are children and youth born in Thailand. This protracted context has resulted in service provision and socio-economic engagement occurring largely through camp-based and parallel arrangements, with limited alignment to Thai national frameworks. The operating environment has deteriorated markedly since 2024/2025. The escalation of armed conflict inside Myanmar has intensified displacement and heightened protection risks, particularly for adolescents and young men. Concurrently, the suspension of U.S. funding in early 2025 triggered a major contraction in external support across the camps, significantly reducing availability of health, rehabilitation, WASH, education, food security, and protection services. In some camps, suicide rates have reached their highest levels in five years. In August 2025, the Royal Thai Government (RTG) adopted a Cabinet Resolution allowing registered refugees holding Ministry of Interior (MOI) documentation to legally work outside the camps for the first time in decades. While this policy shift creates opportunities for self-reliance for an estimated 42,000 working-age refugees, approximately 30,000 refugees remain excluded due to lack of documentation and continue to face restricted labour-market access and protection risks. National and sub-national Thai systems remain insufficiently resourced and operationally unprepared to absorb expanded service responsibilities for refugee populations.

Project Description

The 36-month action aims to address the basic needs of refugees across the nine camps through four outcomes:

• Outcome 1: Refugees have equitable and strengthened access to quality health, WASH, and disability-inclusive social support services, aligned with Thai national structures and transition pathways.