KINGSBRIDGE author Felicity Goodall is headed to Burma with books for the street children she will be teaching – thanks to the support of the town's Harbour Bookshop.

Felicity spent a month in Burma researching her latest book Exodus Burma, and was so affected by what she saw that she was keen to do something to help. She plans to spend three months in Rangoon, teaching at a monastery school which takes in street children. The Harbour Bookshop is the first local business to sponsor the project.

Pat Arbrehart from the bookshop said: 'Felicity was in the shop looking at children's books to take with her and when I heard what she was planning to do I felt it was such a good cause that we wanted to help.

'World Book Day is coming up on March 1 which will entitle every child in the UK to a book, so I thought it was appropriate that we help a few Burmese children too.'

The volumes donated by the bookshop will be the very first books in the school where Felicity will be teaching. There are no other educational materials.

Children are taught using a blackboard and each child is given a notebook and pencil to write with.

The monastery school has 50 students aged from six to 18 including 35 novice monks.

These are children whose families are so poor that they cannot afford to feed them so they ask the monastery to give them a home. The other 15 youngsters live on the streets of Rangoon.

Felicity said: 'Education isn't compulsory in Burma, although people are very keen that their children do go to school.

'Sadly, the children often have to work to help support the family. So parents take them out of school to do things like sell postcards to tourists.

'Monastery schools are free, unlike state schools, and the monks often help the families by giving them a bit of money to supplement the family income so that the children can stay at school.'

When she returned from her research trip to Burma, Felicity took an intensive month-long course to train as an English Language teacher.

She said: 'English is only taught in private schools, which are attended by the children of the elite. Poor children have little chance to learn English which is the language of business and tourism and essential for those who want to go to university.

'Teaching is still done parrot fashion, and because of the lack of native English speakers, their pronunciation is so poor as to be incomprehensible.

'For the last 50 years each new generation of monks has been perpetuating these mispronunciations as they drill classes.'

During her trip Felicity saw children as young as five-years-old working on the roads, and living with their families in shelters near the roadside.

'These children were carrying stones, and filling in holes, yet they were cheerful and smiling.

'They should have been at school learning about the world and discovering the wonders that books contain.'

As Burma starts to open up to tourists, poor children are vulnerable to people who groom them for the sex trade.

'English is the key to giving these children a chance to lift themselves out of poverty. It could be the factor that saves a Rangoon street kid from prostitution and in turn allows that child to help support their family.'

To cover basic living costs, simple food and educational materials Felicity is looking for a sponsor for each of the children during the three months she'll be teaching. In exchange sponsors will be provided with a photograph of the child, some biographical details and a personal message from them on her return from Burma. To sponsor a child for £20 contact Felicity on 01548 853063 or at [email protected]">[email protected]