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Bydd yr Aelodau’n ymwybodol imi ddychwelyd ddoe ar ôl ymweld â Uganda.  Euthum yno fel un o wahoddedigion Clymblaid Mbale yn Erbyn Tlodi, partner i raglen Llywodraeth Cymru sef Cymru  o Blaid Affrica.  Pan fûm yno cefais gyfle i ymweld â phrosiectau y bu modd eu sefydlu oherwydd gwaith caled ac ymroddiad llawer o bobl o Gymru a hynny gyda chymorth rhaglen Cymru o blaid Affrica.

Yn ystod f’ymweliad pum niwrnod bu canolbwynt ar wahanol elfennau ar raglen Cymru o blaid Affrica gan gynnwys Masnach Deg, Cysylltiadau Cymunedol rhwng Cymru ac Affrica, plannu coed o dan brosiect Maint Cymru a Chysylltiadau Iechyd.

Pan gyrhaeddais Kampala cefais gyfarfodydd cychwynnol ag uchel Gomisiwn  Prydain a’r Adran Datblygu Rhyngwladol ac wedyn teithiais i Mbale yn Nwyrain Uganda, lle mae llawer o brosiectau o Gymru ar waith.

Yn ystod pum niwrnod bythgofiadwy mynychais 24 o ddigwyddiadau a hynny mewn 19 o wahanol leoliadau. Bu degau o bobl o Gymru a sawl mil o ddinasyddion Uganda yn bresennol hefyd yn y digwyddiadau hyn.

Ymhlith yr ymweliadau roedd taith o gwmpas Menter Gydweithredol Gumutindo ar gyfer Masnach Deg a Choffi Organig, y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi’i helpu trwy ariannu arbenigwr rheoli.  Gwelais drosof fy hun y manteision y mae Masnach Deg yn eu rhoi i ffermwyr tlawd. Mae’r manteision hn yn cynnwys gwelliannau cymunedol megis cyflenwad dŵr rheolaidd, toiledau gwell ac Undeb Credyd ynghyd â phrisiau sylweddol uwch am eu coffi o’r radd flaenaf. Cefais daith o amgylch un o feithrinfeydd coed Maint Cymru lle mae degau o rywogaethau o goed yn cael eu tyfu i helpu i rwymo’r pridd, darparu cysgod i gnydau, tanwydd ar gyfer coginio a phren ar gyfer adeiladu. Ymwelais â phrosiect cadw gwenyn, sy’n cael ei gefnogi gan Bees for Development o Sir Fynwy a’i ariannu â grant bach gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Mae’r prosiect hwn yn rhoi incwm ychwanegol i fenywod sy’n ffermio yn ogystal â maeth gwell i’w plant a pheilliad gwell i’w coffi.

Braint hefyd oedd cael gweld y gwelliannau gwych sydd wedi’u gwneud yn Ysgol Uwchradd Bubutu trwy ymdrechion staff a disgyblion Ysgol Uwchradd Pontypridd.  Agorais ystafell gysgu i ferched, sydd wedi’i hariannu gan fusnesau o Gymru a fydd yn helpu i amddiffyn y merched rhag ymosodiadau a sicrhau bod mwy ohonynt yn gallu cwblhau eu haddysg.  Tra bûm yno gwelais wasanaeth ambiwlans beiciau modur, a sefydlwyd gan Barafeddygon o Gymru ac sy’n helpu menywod beichiog i fynd i’r ysbyty – gan leihau marwolaeth ymhlith mamau i raddau helaeth.  Roedd gweithdy offer peiriannau PONT – a roddwyd gan TATA Steel yn Ne Cymru – yn brysur wrth ei waith. Mae’r gweithdy  \- sy’n cael ei gefnogi gan staff a hyfforddwyd gan wirfoddolwyr o Gymru gyda grant bach arall gan Lywodraeth Cymru – yn gwneud gwelyau cludo ar olwynion i’r gwasanaeth ambiwlans. Mawr yw’r galw am y  gwelyau cludo hyn a gafodd eu dylunio gan fyfyriwr o Gymru.

Ar y diwrnod olaf ymwelais â slym Namatala yn Mbale.  Yno, agorais dai bach cyhoeddus a gafodd eu hadeiladu gyda rhoddion gan rai o staff a myfyrwyr Prifysgol Morgannwg i wella iechyd y cyhoedd. Yn ychwanegol gwelais waith ysbrydoledig  Child of Hope, sy’n rhoi cyfleoedd gwirioneddol i blant sy’n byw yn y slym mewn amodau hynod o anodd.  Roeddwn yn falch o glywed y Cyfarwyddwr yn canu clodydd gwaith y tri gwirfoddolwr y maent wedi llwyddo o ddod o hyd iddynt trwy ein rhaglen Cyfleoedd Dysgu Rhyngwladol. Dywedodd y Cyfarwyddwr fod gwaith pob un o’r gwirfoddolwyr wedi arwain at newidiadau ysgubol i’w gwaith.

Yn ystod f’ymweliad cefais gyfle hefyd i blannu’r filiynfed goeden o dan brosiect Miliwn o Goed Maint Cymru ac i wneud dau gyhoeddiad am y prosiect.  O Ebrill ymlaen, byddwn yn ymestyn ein menter lwyddiannus sef PLANT! sy’n plannu coeden yng Nghymru ar hyn o bryd i bob plentyn sy’n cael ei eni neu ei fabwysiadu yng Nghymru ynghyd â phlannu coeden ychwanegol yn Uganda.  Cyhoeddais hefyd targed newydd of 10 Miliwn o Goed ar gyfer y prosiect plannu coed yn Mbale.

Gwn fod rhai pobl yn teimlo na ddylwn ymweld â Uganda yn sgil y newyddion annisgwyl bod Bil y meinciau cefn sef y Bil Gwrthgyfunrywioldeb  wedi cael ei basio ychydig cyn y Nadolig. Rwyf yn deall pryderon y bobl hyn ac yn cytuno’n llwyr â datganiad Llywodraeth y DU ar y mater https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fco\-minister\-expresses\-uk\-concerns\-about\-anti\-homosexuality\-legislation\-in\-uganda 

  
Nid yw fy safbwynt wedi newid ers imi ysgrifennu at Bwyllgor Deisebau’r Cynulliad  bron yn union dair blynedd yn ôl ar 26 Ionawr 2011 http://www.assemblywales.org/bus\-home/bus\-third\-assembly/bus\-committees/bus\-committees\-other\-committees/bus\-committees\-third\-pc\-home/bus\-committees\-third\-pc\-agendas/pet\_3\_\-3\-11\_papers\-e.pdf?langoption\=3\&ttl\=PET(3\)\-03\-11 : Paper 1 : New Petitions and Updates to Previous Petitions (PDF, 1\-91MB) 

Mae gan Uganda rai o’r cyfraddau uchaf yn y byd o drais yn erbyn menywod. Mae plant yn cael eu cam\-drin ar raddfa eang ond anaml y caiff hyn ei gofnodi’n ffurfiol.  Credaf fod hyn yn rheswm digonol dros barhau i ymgysylltu â dinasyddion cyffredin o Uganda a’u cymunedau ac i bobl o Gymru barhau â’u gwaith – yn hytrach na chefnu arno.  Gwelais drosof fy hun yr effaith gadarnhaol y mae cyfranogiad Cymru’n ei chael, nid yn unig yn ymarferol ond hefyd o ran cymedroli agweddau.  
Siaredais yn gyhoeddus am yr angen am oddefgarwch a thrafodais y BilGwrthgyfunrywioldeb yn breifat ag arweinwyr gwleidyddol yn Mbale. Mae dinasyddion Uganda yn ymwybodol iawn o’n safbwynt a chefais fy nghynghori yn rheolaidd y gallai siarad yn gyhoeddus am y Bil \- sydd gerbron y Llywydd ar hyn o bryd \- wneud y sefyllfa’n waeth yn hytrach na’i gwella.

Hoffwn longyfarch pob un o’r gwirfoddolwyr o Gymru sy’n gwneud gwahaniaeth mor gadarnhaol ac ysbrydoledig \- a hynny nid yn unig ym Mbale ond hefyd mewn llawer o gymunedau eraill yn Affrica Is\-Sahara. Rwyf yn falch bod f’ymweliad wedi tynnu sylw at eu gwaith amhrisiadwy a hoffwn annog mwy o bobl byth yng Nghymru i ddechrau cymryd rhan yn y gwaith clodwiw hwn.







Translation:


 
Members will be aware that I returned yesterday from a visit to Uganda.  I went there as a guest of the Mbale Coalition Against Poverty, a partner of the Welsh Government’s Wales for Africa programme.  This presented an ideal opportunity for me to visit projects that have been made possible by the hard work and dedication of many people from Wales with the support of the Wales for Africa programme.


My 5 day visit included elements focused on different components of the Wales for Africa programme including Fair Trade, Wales Africa Community Links, Size of Wales tree planting and Health Links.


On my arrival in Kampala I had initial meetings with the British High Commission and the Department for International Development and then travelled to Mbale in Eastern Uganda, where many of the Welsh projects are based.


Over the course of a memorable 5 days I attended 24 events in 19 different locations attended by dozens of people from Wales and several thousand Ugandans.


Visits included a tour of the Gumutindo Fairtrade and Organic Coffee Cooperative, which the Welsh Government has helped by funding a management expert.  I saw for myself the benefits that Fairtrade brings to poor farmers in the form of community improvements such as a regular water supply, better toilets and a Credit Union along with considerably better prices for their top quality coffee.  I was given a tour of one of the Size of Wales tree nurseries where dozens of varieties of trees are grown to help bind the soil, provide shade for crops, fuel for cooking and wood for building.  I visited a bee keeping project, supported by Monmouthshire based Bees for Development and funded with a small grant from the Welsh Government which is giving women farmers an additional income alongside improved nutrition for their children and better pollination for their coffee.


I was also privileged to see the fantastic improvements made to Bubutu High School through the efforts of staff and pupils from Pontypridd High School.  I opened a girl’s dormitory, funded by donations from Welsh businesses which will help protect the girls from assault and ensure that more of them are able to finish their education.  Whilst there I was shown a motorcycle ambulance service, set up by Welsh paramedics which helps pregnant women to get to hospital – and in doing so, greatly reduce maternal mortality.  The PONT machine tool workshop – donated by TATA steel in South Wales with staff trained by volunteers from Wales with another small grant from the Welsh Government – was making much needed wheeled stretchers for the ambulance service, designed by a student from Wales.


On the last day I visited Namatala slum in Mbale.  There, I opened some public latrines built with donations from staff and students at Glamorgan University to improve public health and saw the inspiring work of Child of Hope, giving real opportunity to children of that slum in incredibly challenging conditions.  I was pleased to hear their Director praise the work of the 3 volunteers they have had through our International Learning Opportunities programme, saying that each placement had brought about step change improvements to their work.


The visit also enabled me to plant the millionth tree for the Size of Wales Million Trees project and make two announcements regarding the project.  From April, we will extend our successful PLANT! initiative which currently plants a tree in Wales for every child born or adopted in Wales to plant an additional tree in Uganda.  I also announced a new target of 10 Million Trees for the Mbale tree planting project.


I know that there were people who felt I should not visit Uganda following the unexpected passing of the back bench Anti Homosexuality Bill just before Christmas.  I understand their concerns and agree wholeheartedly with the statement that the UK Government position on the matter https://www.gov.uk/government/news/fco\-minister\-expresses\-uk\-concerns\-about\-anti\-homosexuality\-legislation\-in\-uganda


My position has not changed since I wrote to the Assembly Petitions committee almost exactly three years ago on  26 Jan 2011 http://www.assemblywales.org/bus\-home/bus\-third\-assembly/bus\-committees/bus\-committees\-other\-committees/bus\-committees\-third\-pc\-home/bus\-committees\-third\-pc\-agendas/pet\_3\_\-3\-11\_papers\-e.pdf?langoption\=3\&ttl\=PET(3\)\-03\-11 : Paper 1 : New Petitions and Updates to Previous Petitions (PDF, 1\-91MB)


Uganda has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. Child abuse is both widespread and under recorded.  I believe that these are reasons to continue to engage with ordinary Ugandans and their communities and for people from Wales to continue their work – not to walk away.  I saw for myself the positive effect that this Welsh engagement is having, not only materially but also in moderating attitudes.  

I spoke publicly about the need for tolerance and acceptance and discussed the Anti Homosexuality Bill privately with local political leaders in Mbale. Ugandans are well aware of our position and I was regularly advised that by speaking out on the Bill – which is currently with the President \- I could make the situation worse not better.


I want to congratulate all of the volunteers from Wales who are making such a positive and inspirational difference – not only in Mbale but in many other communities in sub Saharan Africa.  I am glad that my visit has drawn attention to their invaluable work and would like to encourage even more people in Wales to get involved in their work.