Alfred Balinda, deputy executive director of an Ugandan Nongovernmental organization that deals with environmental protection issues, points to the progress his country has made in recent years in increasing the number of people who have access to safe water.

"Statistics show that 55 percent of the population of Uganda has clean and safe water," he says, compared to ten years ago when just 35 percent of the population had this access. The Ugandan government, which has set-up a ministry to deal specifically with water and sanitation issues, aims to increase to 85 percent the proportion of people in the country who have access to safe drinking water by the year 1015.

Belinda agrees that the government's goal is ambitious, but he says he believes that it is attainable.

In addition to promoting access to clean water, Belinda's NGO - The National Association of Professional Environmentalists - is campaigning hard to save a national landmark. The Bujagali Falls, which have been described by visitors as some of the most spectacular waterfalls anywhere, are in danger of being destroyed by a government-funded hydroelectric power plant. Belinda believes that building a dam near the falls would be a disaster. Instead, he would like to see the government use the falls to promote tourism, which would bring much-needed economic benefits to the country.

"Did you know the falls have been rated number two in the world for their beauty?" says Balinda smiling. "You can white water raft on them too."

When asked what he hopes to achieve by attending this week's Freshwater Conference in Bonn, Balinda's demeanor becomes serious. "I want to get contacts, to get educated and to contribute," he says. "Sharing is a learning process."