Aravanai community members holding artwork

Our mission is to bring resources for at-risk founders in underserved communities.

Aravanai (அரவணை)

To receive with compassion, embrace, or hold someone in ones arms to support and cherish.

Aravanai, founded in 2018, is on a mission to provide support to the youths of underserved communities via Education, Entrepreneurship and Employment.

2025 Achievements

Programs & Partnerships

  • Graduated the first UKI Batticaloa cohort, with training in software development, problem-solving, and professional skills.
  • Welcomed the second UKI Batticaloa cohort.
  • Supported the Noolaham Cloud Backup Initiative, uploading 35 hard disks of Tamil cultural and historical archives to cloud storage.
  • Sponsored the University of Jaffna IEEE WIE "Empowering Women in Entrepreneurship" workshop.
  • Supported Yarl Insight 2025.
  • Ran modified YHacks-style AI hackathons across four schools in Batticaloa, Chavakacheri, Kilinochchi, and Mullaitivu, reaching 100+ AL students with the Aram Initiative and local partners SPM Industries, Vanni Hope, and Thenseer.
  • Established a new partnership with St. John's Vocational Training Centre in Batticaloa.

2026 Goals

The next year focuses on events, program depth, regional expansion, and more sustainable ways to fund the work.

2026 Goal

Curated 2026 Gala

Sunday, Oct 18, 2026, 5 PM, at Curatus, Toronto. Tickets and sponsorships are now open.

2026 Goal

Bring Back YHacks 2026

Return to York University with the Centre for Leadership and Innovation and the Canadian Tamil Professionals Association, plus pre-workshops to prepare students. Registration is opening soon.

2026 Goal

Strengthen UKI Batticaloa

Continue strengthening the UKI program in Batticaloa.

2026 Goal

Explore New Regions

Explore expansion into new underserved regions, specifically Sri Lanka's Central Highlands.

2026 Goal

Grow Monthly Giving

Grow the monthly donor base for more predictable, sustainable funding instead of relying only on one-off campaigns.

2026 Goal

Expand Securities Donations

Expand the securities and shares donation option.

The Team

Sri Vithushan

Sri Vithushan

Manager, Marketing

Freelance, Motion Designer

Vithu Vijayaratnam

Vithu Vijayaratnam

Director, Programs

Senior Innovation Manager, Elevate

Kajababu Vijayakarunan

Kajababu Vijayakarunan

Director, Tech

Technical Writer, Hico Canada

Ruban Kandavanam, PhD

Ruban Kandavanam, PhD

Board of Director

Software Development Manager, Amazon

Rajan Bala

Rajan Bala

Chair

Head of Engineering, Amazon

Barathi Subramaniam

Barathi Subramaniam

Director, Finance

DevOps Engineer, Johnson Controls

Jeremy Francis

Jeremy Francis

Director, Community Engagement

Systems Engineer, Stellantis

Aggash Sivasothy

Aggash Sivasothy

Director, Initiatives

Hardware System Design Engineer

Baskar Puvanathasan

Baskar Puvanathasan

Board of Director

CEO, BorgIQ Inc.

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