The Effects of the World Bank

The World Bank is one of the world's largest sources of development assistance. Its primary focus is on helping the poorest people and the poorest countries. This site provides an overview of how the Bank uses its financial resources, its staff, and its extensive knowledge to help developing countries onto paths of stable, sustainable, and equitable growth

Brazilian Slums

For the residents of Rocinha, one of Latin America's largest and oldest slums, the struggle to find work and have access to basic social services is exacerbated by the threat of fire, electrocution and power outages. These additional risks stem from the often desperate steps residents take to bring electricity to their meager homes, which are often connected illegally and with extreme risk to the power network.
Part of the solution is to find ways to deal with infrastructural inadequacies, to provide essential services at a low cost, and to educate residents about proper power usage, in Rocinha and in other sl...