An Italian Salesian priest and students from a Catholic school in southern Thailand are building a long-term partnership with a small state school in Songkhla, turning student allowance donations into practical support for 64 children from struggling families.
Father Anthony Restelli, SDB, led a delegation from Saengthong Vitthaya School to Wat Samkong School in Hat Yai last week to assess its needs and lay the groundwork for the school’s annual Sister School project.
The visit was an on-the-ground fact-finding effort. Father Restelli and his delegation met with teachers, toured sparse classrooms and spoke with children about their daily lives.
Their goal was to understand firsthand the teaching methods, living conditions, and most pressing shortages before designing a targeted assistance package.
“We don’t want to give what we think they need; we want to give what they truly need,” Father Restelli said, explaining the school’s philosophy of tailor-made assistance that ranges from stationery and learning materials to daily necessities.
Wat Samkong School is a small state institution offering preschool and primary education to just 64 students, many of whom come from families still struggling to secure basic educational opportunities.
For these children, the Sister School project is far more than a donation drive. It is a “bridge of hope” linking the teachers, students, parents, and benefactors of Saengthong Vitthaya School with their less privileged peers.
Supporting the project is a campaign with a deeply personal name: “Share From Heart…For Our Younger Siblings.”
Every month, on Father John Bosco Memorial Day, student council members visit classrooms across Saengthong Vitthaya with a simple invitation: Donate a portion of your allowance, no matter how small.
The collected coins and banknotes go into a fund used to purchase essential supplies and support Sister School activities.
Yet the campaign’s focus is not money but the formation of character.
“We want our students to learn that giving is not about the amount, but about the heart,” Father Restelli emphasized.
“When a child skips a snack so another child can have a pencil, both are changed. One learns sacrifice; the other feels seen.”
The initiative seeks to nurture compassion, generosity, and service, showing how even the smallest act of sharing can create smiles, inspire hope, and open doors to a brighter future.
This spirit of service is deeply rooted in Saengthong Vitthaya School’s history.
Founded in 1950 in Hat Yai, it was the fourth institution established by the Salesian Congregation of Don Bosco in Thailand. The all-boys Catholic school educates students from grades 1 through 12.
Its roots date to 1938, when Bishop Pachotti visited southern Thailand and was urged to open a school modeled after Bangkok’s prestigious Assumption School.
In 1941, Chee Kim Yong donated six rai of land to the diocese. By 1947, Father Joseph Vitali had begun turning the vision into reality under the direction of Father Peter Carretto, SDB.
The school officially opened on April 22, 1950, under its original name, Hat Yai Vitthaya School, with Father Jacob Garnini as director and Father Natal Manet as its first manager and headmaster.
Over more than seven decades, Saengthong Vitthaya has educated generations of leaders whose names now appear among the highest levels of Thai public life.
Its alumni include former deputy prime ministers and government ministers, prominent television personalities, acclaimed film actors and celebrated singers.
When current students collect donations, they are following a path walked by national figures who once learned the same Don Bosco values in the same hallways.
As the Sister School project with Wat Samkong prepares to move from assessment to action, Father Restelli envisions something far more enduring than a one-off charity event.
“We are building a relationship,” he said. “This is not about giving and leaving. It is about walking together, school to school, child to child, until hope becomes a shared habit.”
In the gentle hands of an Italian priest and the small, willing hands of Thai schoolboys, a bridge of hope is being strengthened—one heartfelt coin at a time.
