Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Emphasis was shifted to non-European countries and until 1968 , loans were earmarked for projects that would enable a borrower country to repay loans ( such projects as ports , highway systems , and power plants ) .
Simplified: Until 1968 , loans were used mainly to pay for projects that would help the country pay it back ( such projects as ports , highway systems , and power plants ) .