Diria sits on the rim of the Apoyo Volcano overlooking the Laguna de Apoyo, one of the deepest lakes in the Americas. The clear blue waters of the laguna attracts foreigners and locals alike, for days swimming in the lake and picnicking on it’s shores. Most people going to the Laguna access it through roads that do not go through Diria and therefore Diria has not been able to benefit from the economic boon tourism could provide. Diria is inhabited by thousands of beautiful, caring, hardworking residents, who due to the remote location of their town, have been passed over on many assistance programs and tourism related funding.

Diria boasts a non-existent crime rate and is one of the few truly authentic Nicaraguan pueblos left intact. Diria is historically famous for its Dirianjen warriors who were able to hold back the Spanish in the time of the conquistadors.

The schools of Diria and the surrounding rural area serve over 1500 students. The local government estimates that there are over 1000 other children who do not attend school due to many different issues. These issues include inadequate access to food, potable water and healthcare, and the need from some children to work to assist in supporting the family. Many of the adults themselves never attended school and are unable to assist their children with their schoolwork at home. The schools of Diria also lack the most basic of supplies, electric lights run on wires suspended above the classrooms, the old tin roofs are buckled and bent, many school chairs and desks are broken, and the children lack such basic supplies as paper, pencils, and pencil sharpeners.

The town of Diria has a small free medical clinic that unfortunately suffers from a severe lack of supplies. Over 90 percent of the children of Diria suffer from parasites, which cause diarrhea and malnutrition. There also are hygenic problems with rashes and fungi, dengue fever, and other tropical diseases.