Gbagba Pilots I & II

In 2013, Gbagba and Jaadeh! author Pailey applied for and secured a grant from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to pilot Gbagba in 10 schools in Liberia, as well as commissioned a song and video adaptation of the book by Liberia’s premier Hip-Co musician Takun J.

In 2015 the Ministry of Education in Liberia placed Gbagba on the supplemental list of readers for 3rd to 5th grades, bringing the story into classrooms across the country.

Montserrado County Pilot

Grand Bassa County Pilot

In 2016, Pailey applied for and secured a second grant from OSIWA to pilot Gbagba in 20 additional schools in Liberia and convert the book into a stage play, which debuted at Monrovia City Hall on September 28, 2017 with an all-child cast.

Similarly, a 5-minute radio drama adaptation of the book previously aired on 64 community and commercial radio stations across Liberia’s 15 sub-political divisions, called counties, as well as on West Africa Democracy Radio.

Gbagba’s sequel, Jaadeh!, has been adapted into a song written and produced by Takun J and featuring vocalist Ella Mankon Pailey. The song and music video have also aired on radio and television stations across Liberia. In June 2019, Jaadeh! was adopted by the Liberian Ministry of Education as a supplemental reader for 3rd to 5th grades.