This summer 2025 the Culture Ticino Network Association in Lugano has decided to renew the TESDA scholarship agreement in the field of “bakery and pastry” with its partners in the Philippines and in Ticino.

Conceived between 2022 and 2023, at the height of the difficult post-pandemic recovery, this project is more than just a training course. It is a “hope” in the midst of hardship, a tangible opportunity for young women and girls living on the margins, trapped in a poverty that too often leaves room only for resignation. Our primary partner is the Korphil IT Training Centre of Bulacan in Guiguinto, which offers technical and vocational training to the needy female students who will receive the scholarships, preparing and training them in the bakery and pastry sector. Thanks to the passion and dedication of their trainers, each participant finds a new path to follow. Strengthening this cooperation link is our sister association Culture Ticino Network & Philippines Association in Paombong, founded in 2020, with the aim of helping the local needy more through new educational, sustainable projects and the food and poverty project.

And then there is the historic Bignasca SA bakery-pastry shop in Sonvico, whose enthusiasm and daily commitment help us raise funds through the sale of the solidarity cake “Tropical cake”.

Thanks to this programme, the participants learn a noble and creative trade, which will enable them to obtain the national TESDA certificate and be able to open a small business or find work in the Philippines, breaking the chains of social exclusion and getting out of poverty.

The selected girls and women are followed step by step by experienced and passionate tutors, ready to accompany them on their path to autonomy. Each diploma awarded – like the 20 national diplomas distributed in 2024 – is not just a certificate: it is an important occasion.

But there is still a long way to go. The Philippines remains among the poorest nations in the world. Half of the families live on the brink of poverty, and every year typhoons and natural disasters erase all the good that has been tried to be built. The memory of Typhoon Haiyan, which claimed over 6,000 lives in 2013, is still an open wound.

The province of Bulacan north of Manila, where our Association has set up its projects, also continues to suffer the devastating effects of climate change: floods, torrential rains, disasters that affect those with the least defences, those with the least voice, those most in need. In this fragile context, our project becomes even more important: it is a concrete gesture of solidarity, a way of saying “you are not alone”.

Together with Panetteria Bignasca in Sonvico, we have created a solidarity cake that comes from the heart: our “Tropical Cake”, a cake that celebrates the sweetness of pineapple and coconut, coming directly from the Philippines. Every bite of this cake is more than a simple delicacy: it is an act of solidarity, a small gesture that, in its simple and genuine flavour, encapsulates the essence of a concrete change.

HOW TO SUPPORT THE PROJECT

If you too wish to be part of this story of hope, resilience and change, your donation to the Association Culture Ticino Network can make a real difference.

With only 120 francs we can fund a scholarship and give hope to those in need. Help us to help those in need! Together we can do a lot. HEARTFELT THANKS.

Another way to support the project is by purchasing our solidarity cake “Tropical Cake” (100 g, 200 g or 600 g) at Bignasca SA’s historic bakery in Sonvico, Pregassona and Viganello, either locally or online, by clicking here: Tropical Cake – Bignasca Panetteria & Pasticceria

Part of the proceeds from the sale of the “Tropical Cake” will go to the TESDA Scholarship Project.
Together we can shape a fairer future, a future where every woman and man will have the chance to rewrite their lives. This future is not just a dream: it starts today, thanks to your support.

Donations to support the project:
Culture Ticino Network Association, Lugano
IBAN: CH140024724710719501F
BIC: UBSWCHZH80A