THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: 34-year old Anchal native Anson P D Alexander first formed a voluntary organization called 'Kanal' for the upliftment of students from backward areas through reading and skill training. He is now setting up several reading centres under the organisation. Seven reading centres have been set up in Kerala and Karnataka in the past five years.

Anson, an aircraft maintenance worker at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, is an LLB graduate. Reading centres are located in areas which don't grab the attention of authorities. Students can read and keep books here. They also receives training on how to escape sexual violence, can understand the dangers of the cyber world, improve mental health, learn folk songs, make handicrafts and learn other life skills. New books and old books are collected here. Funding for this is obtained by accepting donations from friends and from his own pocket.

The first reading centre was started at Kavunkal near Vettikkavala in Kottarakkara. Omana, a native gave one cent of her land. Now there are three thousand books in the centre and several awareness camps are also held here.

Other reading centres are at Nakkupathi, Jellipara, Daivakund in Attappadi, Poonthura and Edinjar in Thiruvananthapuram and Halagaiahna Hundi near Mysore in Karnataka. A reading centre was recently started in Edinjar, Thiruvananthapuram, which was in the news due to teenage suicides.

Anson is trying to expand the reading centres to more backward areas. His wife Sharon Thomas is a psychiatrist at Gokulam Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. Daughter Evangeline is two years old. The reading centre aims to give children the strength to overcome the difficulties and exploitations they face.