Page 7 - EIF_CIP case studies

Manuela’s story could be like thousands of others across the EU. While her time at university gave her qualifcations and an academic foundation, it also gave her a student loan to pay back. So when she wanted to start her own business, banks were not interested in supporting her.

As she had no other means of funding when trying to set up her business, she was delighted to receive support for paying her monthly costs and meeting her expenses from the German lender KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau).

With a loan of EUR 25,000, Manuela set up her speech therapy clinic and has since built up a solid client base in her local area. In fact the demand for speech therapy services is so high that she expects to recruit another two members of staff in the next few years.

Thanks to her diploma in speech therapy and her clinical work experience in early rehabilitation, stroke and neurology hospital departments, Manuela is able to provide targeted therapy, consulting and post-treatment services to her patients.

The speech therapy clinic in Thale caters for all ages. It provides support to children and teenagers who have problems with pronunciation, grammar and stammering and also helps infants who are slow learners and children with disabilities. Manuela also provides help for adults with speaking and reading diffculties and runs rehabilitation programmes for adults suffering from brain injuries following illnesses and accidents.

Company: Speech therapy, Thale Type of business: Speech therapy clinic EU-guaranteed loan from K fW: EUR 25,000

Germany

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