When meeting and talking to the women involved in creating this year’s festive décor at Tyger Valley Centre, one is humbled about the fact that their Christmas dreams only involve gifts of the heart.

I find three of the ladies in the production area at Tyger Valley Centre stacked between Christmas trees, baubles and wiring, all the while delicately tying ribbons to each of the trees, a painstaking process.

The Village Christmas 2018 festive décor at Tyger Valley Centre aims to celebrate the diverse cultures and communities of the Cape through a unifying colour palette. It was created through an initiative by Udumo Designs.

Ronesia du Plessis (18), finished matric last year and dreams of becoming a teacher. For this she needs a bursary. She is extremely excited about the opportunity to work for Udumo Designs, the Durbanville-based non-profit company behind Tyger Valley’s Village Christmas theme this year and says she never thought she would be able to do something like this. She looks around her and says: “Wow, I created that”.

Jeronay Adonis (18) stems from a single parent family and does waitering work on weekends to help her family. It is her goal to become a social worker.

Claudine Kassiem (31) is married without children. She used to be a cashier but also has a dream to become a teacher. She has a strong desire to achieve something in her life.

When asking these girls what they want for Christmas, they all agree that to have peace in their hearts and homes and be surrounded by their family members, would be the greatest gift of all.

Cape Town has a rich and colourful heritage influenced by many different cultures. This year Tyger Valley Centre in association with Udumo Designs is proud to announce its Community Christmas 2018 festive décor to celebrate the diverse cultures and communities of the Cape through a unifying colour palette.

A Community Christmas will include influences by the many diverse communities who played a role in the heritage of Cape Town, such as the Dutch, Khoikhoi, Malay, British and Xhosa.

Says San-marie Vogel, founder of Udumo Designs, who is responsible for the décor: “Udumo Designs is a non-profit company with Level 1 BBBEE status. Our heart is to provide a platform for keen and talented people to better themselves and their communities, helping them to grow and walk in liberty. Our various projects are therefore designed to not only create but to leave a legacy through lasting impact.”

As is the case with all their projects, the focus once again fell strongly on job creation and community involvement to produce the festive décor elements, which in previous years have won the coveted Spectrum Award at the Footprint Awards. Amanda van Zyl is the production leader and provided training to the women, stemming from Smartie Town in Paarl, who handmade the decorations. They have also involved the learners of the Westcliff School of Skills in Bellville in a technical capacity with wire work and soldering.

The festive décor will be visible from 15 November for everyone visiting Tyger Valley Centre in Bellville.

To learn more about Udumo Designs and the work that they do, visit www.udumodesigns.co.za