Job Description
Terms of Reference (TOR)
Consultancy for Conducting Research on Emerging Challenges Affecting Children's Well-being and Education
Very Important
- A researcher / research team can only apply for one district
- A researcher / research team availability / residence within district preferable
- Language of select D.S divisions and schools required.
Background
Viluthu works to promote children's rights and well-being in Mannar, Batticaloa, Putalam, and Mullaitivu districts. Through this programme interventions, the organization has identified several emerging issues affecting children's education, protection, health, and psychosocial well-being. To generate evidence for advocacy and programme development, Viluthu seeks to engage a qualified consultant or research firm to conduct district-related research studies.
Objective
To conduct evidence-based research on key issues affecting children's education and well-being and provide practical recommendations for policy, advocacy, and programme interventions.
Research Topics
Batticaloa District
Research Topic: Impact of early marriage / child marriage — Child sexual harassment in transport and within schools that directly contribute to school irregularity and school dropout.
This should include
- Children’s experience in facing harassment.
- Context: What is contributing to or motivating early marriage (neglect, cultural shift influenced by media, poverty, exposure to violence, broken family), lack of SRH education and to what extent?
- Age & Gender — Age ranges of early marriage and sexual harassment of children and gender considerations.
- Recommendations: That are rooted in the findings, practically applicable and addressed to specific stakeholders. Avoid generic recommendations.
- DS divisions: Vakarai and Chenkaladi in Batticaloa district.
- School focus: Viluthu will specify in contract.
Putalam District
Research Topic: Impact on children due to limited access to nutritious food available in schools (middle and upper schools).
This Should include
- Nutritious gap in foods traditionally available in the district schools.
- Children’s experiences in facing access to nutritious food (availability, adequacy, and equity).
- What kinds of nutritious foods have been made available through children's advocacy in schools (select schools) and to what extent.
- Recommendations: That are rooted in the findings, practically applicable and addressed to specific stakeholders. Avoid generic recommendations.
- DS divisions: Puttalam district (to be specified in contract).
- School focus: Viluthu will specify in contract.
Mannar
Research Topic: Impact on girl children / adolescent girls due to gaps in infrastructure and services provided by schools and other institutions related to menstruation and menstrual hygiene management (MHM) support.
This Should Include
- Identification of necessary services, resources and infrastructure gaps through the dignified menstruation / menstrual health management (MHM) framework.
- Context: Cultural and systemic factors contributing to challenges, including stigma and privacy concerns.
- Age and gender considerations; safe, inclusive school environments.
- Recommendations: Practical, targeted to specific stakeholders; avoid generic recommendations.
- DS divisions: To be specified in contract.
- School focus: Viluthu will specify in contract.
Mullaitivu
Research Topic: Adverse impact on school-going children (11 – 16 age group) due to smartphone / smart device use and available psychosocial services to address them.
This Should Include
- Inclusive definition for psychosocial services agreed in Viluthu.
- Types of use, harmful use, frequency of use and relative impact on children.
- Social actors around children – school community, family and relationships, awareness of children about smart devices.
- Psychosocial services availability and accessibility for children impacted by this (both).
- Number of children impacted in select Viluthu schools.
- Recommendations: rooted in findings, practically applicable and addressed to specific stakeholders. Avoid generic recommendations.
- DS divisions: Mullaitivu district (to be specified).
- School focus: Vilathu will specify in contract.
Scope of Work
The selected consultant(s) will:
- Develop research methodology, sampling strategy, and work plan.
- Conduct preliminary FGDs to refine the research questions.
- Develop and finalize research tools in consultation with Viluthu.
- If data collection enumerators are used, child safeguarding policy to be observed. Consultant responsible for coordination and delivery.
- Conduct field data collection using quantitative and qualitative methods.
- Analyse the data and prepare district-specific research reports.
- Present the findings to Viluthu and final written research report in English.
- Submit all final reports, datasets, and research tools.
Expected Deliverables
- Inception report and research methodology.
- Finalized questionnaires and data collection tools.
- Enumerator training completed (evidence for programme and finance).
- Clean datasets and analyzed findings.
- Four district-specific research reports with recommendations.
- Presentation of findings at a stakeholder dissemination workshop.
- Submission of all final reports and supporting documents.
Duration
The consultancy shall be completed from 15th November to 15th December 2026.
Required Qualifications
- A postgraduate qualification in Social Sciences, Development Studies, Education, Public Health, Psychology, Statistics, or a related field.
- Proven experience in quantitative and qualitative research.
- Experience in child protection, education, nutrition, gender, or psycho-social programmes.
- Child protection disclosure: The consultant must disclose any previous or ongoing allegations, investigations, or findings related to child abuse, exploitation, or safeguarding violations.
- Strong analytical and report-writing skills.
- Knowledge of research ethics and child safeguarding.
- Excellent English and Tamil writing skills for all districts; knowledge of Sinhala is an advantage.
Application Requirements
- Interested applicants should submit:
- Technical proposal with methodology and work plan (Detailed in number of days and activities).
- Financial proposal (detailed in cost for logistics/payments made on conditional upon actual cost incurred).
- CVs of the consultant(s) or company profile.
- Evidence of at least two similar research assignments completed.
Note: Viluthu will own original data sets, reports and all tools developed under this project. All reports and tools and data sets must be delivered to Viluthu.
Submission Deadline
Interested consultants/firms should submit their proposals on or before 11th November 2026 to email – project@viluthu.org / contact details – 0112 556 773