The World Bank is not an ordinary bank, it is actually an international development organisation that makes loans to countries that have a per capita income (1996) of less than $925 per annum. There are over 180 member countries, including those that donate funds and those that borrow from the bank. The money for these loans comes from several sources and contributions made by donor countries, earnings on investments, fees paid in by member countries and from borrowing countries themselves when they pay back their loans. The World Bank's headquarters are located in Washington DC, USA, with offices located throughout the world.

The World Bank actually consists of five organisations: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), the International Development Association (IDA), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Australia is a member country of all five organisations, and in particular has a strong affiliation with the IDA.

The Australian Government has provided the IDA with A$115.5m in 1998/99 for projects that will reduce poverty and promote sustainable economic growth. IDA activities include projects to improve access to basic needs, such as education, clean water and sanitation, health, family planning and food production.

The World Bank website contains a section named "For Schools"
( http://www.worldbank.org/html/schools) with activities and case studies for the classroom. These include background information on countries and their projects, issues (such as pollution, poverty etc), and economic and social indices (such as income per capita, literacy rates, life expectancy etc).

More information on the World Bank can be found on http://www.worldbank.org

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