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It may be grey and chilly outside, but inside the Pilke Päiväkodit center, on the outskirts of the Finnish capital, Helsinki, the colours are bright and the atmosphere is cozy.

It’s also noisy – thanks to the presence of an excitable group of toddlers. In various classrooms throughout this pre-school facility, young children are making butterfly paintings, singing songs about the days of the week and even taking a trip in an imaginary jet plane to learn all about different countries of the world.

This is one of around 110 facilities created by Hoivatilat, a Finnish real-estate company, split evenly between centres for kids, elderly care and care for the disabled.

The increase in the construction of such facilities for pre-school children, the elderly and those with disabilities could not be more timely. Finland has a rapidly growing population - and rapidly ageing too, more so than any other European nation. With municipalities now feeling the pinch, there is a greater need than ever for private service providers, aided by companies such as Hoivatilat to step in and ease the pressure on the care sector.

The EIB was able to provide Hoivatilat with a €50 million loan, which the company intends to use to create an additional 2,700 care places throughout the country. The company specializes in designing and constructing different types of facilities for care-givers across the country, for which there is a growing demand.

“Hoivatilat provides facilities that are tailor-made for these purposes,” says Tommi Aarnio, chief financial officer for Hoivatilat.

What may sound like a lofty declaration is in fact corroborated – by the kids.

“All the things are within the children’s reach so they can be active, saying ‘I’m interested in this!’, ‘Let’s do something with this!’,” explains Leena Piipari who works at the Pilke Päiväkodit facility. “This is a space for the children: they are the active participants, and that’s part of the very groundbreaking thinking of Pilke. That’s how they learn, because they get the experience themselves, and the flexible layout and flexible spaces enhance that.”

The EIB financing will be used for a pre-agreed list of 58 new care facilities which are to be built across Finland, and Hoivatilat has wasted no time in embarking on the next wave of construction projects, mostly for childcare.

“The children and the future of Europe are important aspects of the business,” says Lasse Tourunen, the EIB loan officer responsible for the deal.

Tourunen recalls vivid impressions from site visits to Hoivatilat premises.

“The fact that impressed me most was the strategic partnership it has with its customers, that they are here for the long run, providing tailor-made facilities, instead of just selling some properties for profit,” says Tourunen.

Indeed, Tommi Aarnio from Hoivatilat prefers to focus at the long-term. “Our big idea and big vision is to be building a better tomorrow and better society. There is a need for players like Hoivatilat, who can provide these kinds of facilities in a cost-effective manner. It’s good for the taxpayer and for the government for the municipalities and for the rest of Europe!”

The company’s current record proves it is on the right track. The Pilke Päiväkodit childcare centre was established in 2017 and the demand for places in it has been such that construction is already nearing completion on a brand-new extension. The extension, with the developmental and learning needs of the children embedded in the blueprints, is expected to open for local preschoolers by the end of the year.