MORE THAN HALF OF THE WORLDS REFUGEES ARE CHILDREN

LESSONS OF BASKETBALL AND WAR explores universal issues of violence, prejudice, cultural identity and conflict resolution as seen through the eyes of adolescent girls - refugees from war and famine in Somalia who've resettled in a strange foreign city - Portland, Oregon. LESSONS OF BASKETBALL AND WAR offers an entertaining and moving account of a year in their young lives as they attempt to put the animosity of war behind them with the help of a small team of dedicated educators and volunteers.

CREATE A MORE WELCOMING AMERICA

There are currently more than 80 million forcibly displaced people worldwide as a result of persecution, violence and war. More than half are children. And with the current influx of refugees entering the US,  LESSONS OF BASKETBALL AND WAR's message of non-violence and understanding couldn’t be more timely. Wider exposure to these amazing refugee girls offers the potential to increase understanding, tolerance, and compassion – hopefully helping to create a more welcoming America.

SUPPORT THE NATIONAL BROADCAST

We are thrilled to have LESSONS OF BASKETBALL AND WAR selected by NETA (The National Educational Telecommunications Association) for distribution to the 341 American PBS stations with multiple airdates over a 3 year period beginning this summer. Unfortunately, there are significant expenses in preparing a film for national broadcast. PBS and individual stations do not pay for these programs. Instead, broadcast costs are covered by the underwriters identified before and after each program, that's why we're having this fundraiser. There are significant costs to getting LESSONS OF BASKETBALL AND WAR to an audience that could be in the millions. These include: editing it to public television standards and length, obtaining television broadcast rights for key news footage, preparing a high-quality HD master, revising the audio mix, closed captioning, satellite distribution, marketing to the individual stations to increase broadcast scheduling and the creation of promotional materials for on-air station use. That's why we need your help.

All donations are 100% US tax deductible and a tax receipt will be provided. Donations of $1000 and above will be recognized on-screen in the underwriting credits at the open and close of each broadcast over a three year period. All other donations will be listed on the film’s website. (Due to Federal Regualations and PBS policies, on-screen recognition is tightly regulated and quite limited.) Contact us with any questions at:  [email protected]