Italian Investor Builds Junior Secondary School In Jacaranda Watamu
A Malindi-based Italian investor Pasquale Tirito, who owns several luxurious tourist resorts in the Jacaranda area of Watamu, has offered to build a Junior Secondary School block in one of the community schools he founded a decade ago.
The foreigner, who has been supporting education in Kilifi, built the Jacaranda Beach Primary School and handed it over to the government for the locals to benefit.
Tirito said a few months ago the Community approached him and requested he help them build a junior secondary school as the students were using the primary school classes.
Speaking during the groundbreaking ceremony Tirito who is the Chairman of Jacaranda beach Resort said the projects are being funded by his entire family so as to help the community access education.
The Chairman said once the junior secondary block and all its facilities including laboratories are complete he will build a dispensary to also enable the community to access health easily.
“This is a continuation of the project from the primary school now we are starting the secondary (junior) because the community asked me, I did not do the school project because it’s me, I asked the community what they wanted and they proposed the school,” he said.
Tirito who was accompanied by his wife, two sons, and daughter-in-law together with other staff of the resorts said the project will include three classrooms, toilets for both boys, girls and Teachers, and a Laboratory together with all that is required by the government.
He said the project will be complete in three months after which plans for the construction of the dispensary will kick off.
Tirito said his administration will continue to support community projects but called on the government to complete the road tarmacking and ensure there are street lights along the area.
“What I ask from the Government is the road not for me but for the community and night street lights, they increase security,” he said.
Danielle Tirito the General Manager of Jacaranda Beach Resort said they first built the Jacaranda beach primary school in 2009 and now they were happy to build the junior secondary to help more community members.
“We are really happy to be here today because it’s something the community asked and we are happy to give to them,” he said.
Initially, he said the area had no learning institution and his father together with other tour operators began construction works which today have become successful.
Douglas Ruwa, Chairman of the JIGOCA community-based organization, said the Tirito family decided to support the community and began to build the school which has really transformed life over a decade later.
“The school now has over 500 students. The first national examination was done in 2013, and so far there are over 500 candidates who finished class eight here and went to secondary school, “ he said.
He said the construction of Junior secondary was going to contribute to the development of the Jacaranda area by creating more employment and opening up the area for business.
“We would like to thank Tirito and his family for transforming the lives of the locals here, our lives have changed because of the love of this investor for the community,” he said.
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