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# The Kandy Group

Graduating class of 1992.
Thirty years on, we returned not for recognition, but to serve.

Kandy · Class of 1992

Kandy in the 1990s

Founded 1992 Reunited 2022

## From classmates to comrades in service

We grew up together in the hills of Kandy. Our school taught us discipline, integrity, and resilience through difficulties to honour.

In 2022, a reunion brought us back. Thirty years had passed. Some of us had grey hair; all of us had stories. But one question united us: What do we owe to the city that raised us? That question became AFT Kids & Elders.

“We didn't come back seeking recognition. We came back as citizens who believe the place that shaped us deserves our best effort.”
The Founders

## Meet the Kandy Group

A handful of the 1992 graduates who turned a reunion into a movement. Each brings a unique gift to AFT's mission.

### Ananda Kularatne

Executive VP, On Target Labs | Founder, AFT

Purdue University · The Scripps Research Institute · 3 FDA-approved drugs · 250+ patents

“Science taught me precision. Kandy taught me purpose. AFT is where they meet.”

### Mahinda Wimalawansa, MBA, RPh

COO, On Sonet Technologies | Partner, AFT

Wharton MBA · Former Merck executive · Venture capitalist turned humanitarian

“The best investment I ever made was in people who care.”

### Saman Wijayawardhana, MBA

Finance Director, AFT | Chartered Global Accountant

University of Bradford · Girl Scouts mentor · Ronald McDonald House volunteer

“Numbers tell stories. The most important story is how we spend every rupee with honour.”

+ many more from the Kandy Group

@R. Gunawardena @N. Jayasuriya @A. Polpitiya @M. Tyson @S. Bandara

## The Thread That Connects Us

A reunion that became a mission. A brotherhood that became a movement.

1992

### Graduation

A group of friends leave their school in Kandy. They promise to stay in touch. Life scatters them across the globe.

1
2022

### The Reunion

Thirty years later, they meet again. Some haven't seen each other since they were teenagers. The laughter is immediate. So is the question: what can we give back?

2
2023

### First Pilot Programs

Scholarships for 12 children in Kandy. Mentorship for 30 students. Elder care visits begin. They fund it themselves. No overhead. 100% to programs.

3
2025

### AFT Kids & Elders Registered

Formal NGO registration. 347+ children supported. 1,200+ families reached. 22 communities served. A promise kept.

4

### What Kandy Gave Us

- ▹ Discipline without rigidity – the courage to do what is right, not what is easy.
- ▹ Brotherhood across differences – we were from every corner of Kandy, united by our home.
- ▹ "Per Angusta Ad Augusta" – the knowledge that hardship is the path to honour.
- ▹ A love for Kandy – its hills, its history, its people. This city raised us. Now we raise it up.

### What We Give Back

- ▹ Education scholarships for children who remind us of ourselves.
- ▹ Mentorship that says: “You belong. You can become.”
- ▹ Elder care for those who built this city and are now forgotten.
- ▹ Transparent operations – 100% of public donations go to programs. We cover all overhead ourselves.

“

> "We were teenagers who left Kandy to find our futures. We returned as adults who realised our future was always here – in the children who need a chance, and the elders who deserve to be seen."

— The Kandy Group, Class of 1992

## Become part of the story

The Kandy Group started with a question: what do we owe to the place that raised us? You don't need to be from Kandy to answer it.

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100% of public donations go directly to programs. AFT covers all administrative costs.