Matua Cox digs in to help deliver rice field of dreams
05 Feb 2025
Building a dam for a village in Vietnam to irrigate rice fields and bolster food production while also erecting solar lighting to create a safer space has opened Matua Cox’s eyes to the need to “step up in order to make a difference”.
The School House Year 12 student has spent two weeks in an eastern province of the country supporting a Round Square International Service Project.
“You quickly understand the role you need to play in contributing to an important project that has a long-lasting impact on both the local environment and the people,” he says. “You just need to step up to try and benefit other people from all backgrounds while personally learning more about the power of service in enabling change.”
About 40 students – accompanied by project leaders – from around the world have gathered in a village on their shared mission to work with the community to build a dam and introduce solar lighting.
“It has been hard work, including lifting rocks, digging holes, and moving heaps of concrete,” Matua says. “Now the villagers have irrigation for their rice fields and will hopefully be able to double their annual rice production. Prior to the construction of the dam, the water supply to the rice fields was restricted during the dry season but there was severe flooding during the monsoon season.
“Away from our project work, we were able to be involved in local activities and also spend time with students from the local school. It was great to get to know the people and learn new skills while gaining a better understanding of life in Vietnam.”
