man made disaster. the size of texas, the central african republic has some of the richest deposits of natural resources in the world, gold, diamond, uranium. an ongoing civil war there has left its children among the poorest and hungriest. on our recent visit we met an extraordinary and surprising group of young people who are making a profound difference. [ singing ] >> reporter: why is there joy in the streets in a country teetering on the verge of famine? the answer is the boy scouts of the central african republic. it's dangerous work you do. >> yes. >> reporter: where do you find the courage? >> we know there's danger. >> reporter: this is a war zone. >> this is as dangerous as the assignment gets. >> reporter: carol stern is the ceo of unicef usa. she says the scouts are one of the few things holding this country together. for the past six years, 14 armed groups keep the people here in a