We recently received a kind note of gratitude from one of our community partners - It Takes A Village Africa (ITAVAC). Notes like these are powerful reminders of the impact possible when we partner with the same mission of helping those in need – and we are deeply grateful for it. 

"Working with Delivering Good this year has truly been transformative. It has allowed us to expand our reach, deepen our impact, and show up for our community more strongly.” 

Erica Davies, Founder of ITAVAC, participated in DG’s Capacity Building Program, which was designed to equip nonprofit organizations with the tools and resources necessary to effectively address and integrate equity-building into their work, enhancing their impact and sustainability. We spoke with Erica about her experience in the program, her organization’s growth, and what excites her about the future of social impact.  

As founder of It Takes A Village Africa, how have you seen your organization, work, and impact grow over the years? 

When I founded It Takes a Village Africa in 2014, I was driven by a simple belief: that communities hold the power to transform themselves when given the right tools, resources, and support. Over the years, that vision has grown from grassroots education work into a multi-program organization rooted in Brooklyn, serving families, youth, and women through initiatives like our Mobile Empowerment Initiative, our Fresh Start Women's Empowerment Initiative, which supports women in shelters and survivors of trafficking, and our School in a Box program. 

What I'm most proud of is how our impact has deepened, not just widened. We've moved from meeting immediate needs to building pathways: technology access, workforce readiness, healing-centered programming, and partnerships that multiply what we can do alone. Every year, ITAVAC becomes less of a project and more of an institution, and that's always been the goal. 

Can you tell us a bit about what it was like to participate in Delivering Good’s Capacity Building Program? What were some of your biggest takeaways? 

My biggest takeaways were around sustainability and systems: how to think strategically about organizational infrastructure, partnerships, and long-term capacity rather than operating program to program. The webinar series and the pre-program assessment process pushed me to clarify our goals in ways that have already shaped how we plan and grow. And beyond the content, being part of the Delivering Good Partnership Network connected us to a community of practice organizations and people who understand this work and are invested in seeing each other succeed. 

What are you excited or hopeful about for the future of your organization and partnership with Delivering Good? 

I'm excited about the season ITAVAC is stepping into, expanding our Fresh Start Women's Empowerment Initiative, deepening our Brooklyn partnerships, and continuing to build programs that treat our families with dignity. 

With Delivering Good, I've already seen what this partnership makes possible. The games and books we received didn't just get distributed; they became programming. We've developed community Game Nights where families come together, and we rotate different games each gathering, creating consistent moments of joy, connection, and belonging for the young people and families we serve. That's the power of this partnership: a donation becomes a tradition. 

I'm hopeful about growing that pipeline so every family we touch feels seen and resourced. Delivering Good doesn't just deliver goods; they deliver possibility, and ITAVAC is honored to be a partner in that.