to reduce drop-out rates because stu- dents and tutors alike have valued the 26opportunity to increase their incomes. Similar success has been reported in Indonesia where the Peoples Bank ot Indonesia has a credit scheme to sup- port income-earning activities for UNICEF-assistcd learning groups. Credit incentives have proved to he an effective motivation for poor illiterate women to attend classes.Women in development The needs of the girl child became the special focus of the South Asian and MENA regions in 1988-1989. The South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan andSri Lanka, declared 1990 as die Year of the Girl Child, and in the MENA region, nations targeted the needs of girls as a priority for the 1990s. Both regions, in spite of their socio-cultural differences, have paid attention dur- ing the year to problems which have impacted cruelly on the girl child as a person in her own right. Gender-differentiated data on chil- dren are inadequate, but with few exceptions, the disadvantages suffered by girls in the South Asia and MENA regions suggest that they arc generally unwelcome at birth. From infancy, they usually have inferior nutrition and health care compared to their brothers. From early childhood, they assume increasing responsibilities for the household in the areas of water and fuel collection, sibling care, cook- ing and cleaning, and they are expect- ed to help their mothers in agricultur- al or informal-sector activities. At adolescence, they face early marriage and are locked into lives of hard work and risky child-bearing. As a result, childhood death rates tor girls arc higher than for boys in several countries. In Bangladesh, the death rate among girls in the one-to- four-year age-group is reported to be 58 per cent greater than for boys. The typical girl receives 20 per cent fewer
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of credit incentives to reduce drop-out rates and promote income-earning activities, particularly for poor illiterate women. It also highlights the challenges faced by girls in South Asia and MENA regions, including inferior nutrition and health care, early marriage, and high childhood death rates. Given these topics, it is likely that the text falls under categories related to education, employment, and humanitarian aid.

**Category**
Education, Employment, Humanitarian aid