

Dima Hasao is one of the most underpopulated districts in the Indian state of Assam. Some of the small villages that dot the rural landscape are extremely isolated; no roads connect them to the outside world. Feeling abandoned and ignored by regional authorities, the residents of one village decided to take matters into their own hands. They set about building a road themselves in order to facilitate their community’s access to health centres, schools and other services.



For the past 15 years, Aching Zeme has made frequent visits to isolated villages in Dima Hasao to try to convince families to send their children to school. He also raises awareness about health issues. In November 2016, residents in Inchaikang, a small, isolated village, contacted him. They wanted his help in building a road. Their village, which is located in a mountainous region, was not accessible by car. That meant that residents had to walk, sometimes very long distances, to go to school or see a doctor.



With Zeme’s help, they were able to build a road linking Inchaikang to Boro Robi, a village located 6 kilometres to the north. Building this link gave the residents of Inchaikang access to the outside world. Unlike Inchaikang, Boro Robi is connected by road to Haflong, the main town in the district where all of the public services are concentrated.



