How a Single Interest-Free Loan Changed Addline’s Life

For 28-year-old Addline Atieno, the shoreline of Sindo was once a place where she worked for others, possessing the ambition for ownership but lacking the necessary capital to break free. Despite having a deep knowledge of the local fish trade, she remained an employee, stunted by the high cost of entry into the market.

“Before, I was working as a casual employee for someone else, where I learned the basics of fish handling and customer service” Addline reflects. “I had acquired the skills to fry and sell fish, but I needed the capital to start my own business and manage it professionally.”

Addline is a member of the Omoyo Entrepreneurship Self-Help Group, a collective of 17 women and 3 men based at Sindo Gateway. Before external support reached them, the group’s financial options were dire; they were often forced to rely on shylocks charging an exorbitant 10% daily interest. This cycle of debt meant that most earnings were returned as interest, forcing some members to abandon their businesses to work for larger traders for just KES 300 a day.

Through the Youth in Sustainable Aquaculture (YISA) programme, the trajectory for Addline and her group shifted. She received specialised training in loan management, savings strategies, and business planning, which provided the foundation for her to transition from precarious labour to stable entrepreneurship.

The group eventually accessed a KES 250,000 interest-free Revolving Loan Fund, a tool designed by ENAF to provide a financial safety net for young entrepreneurs. Addline utilised her portion of the fund to launch her own fish-frying business and hotel, moving from the sidelines of the market to the centre of her own enterprise.

Addline did not just use the funds to survive; she used them to pivot. She launched her own fish-frying business, moving from the sidelines of the market to the centre of her own enterprise. The transformation was rapid. Within a few short months, the woman who once took orders was now giving them.

Today, Addline is a thriving employer who has hired three other young women from her community, providing them with the daily wages and dignified work she once sought for herself. Her hotel is now a busy landmark in Sindo where she serves local fishermen and residents.

“When I started, I was working completely alone, struggling to fry even a few kilograms of fish just to get by,” Addline explains. “Today, my business has grown so much that I have employed three young women to work alongside me. We are constantly busy, especially from noon into the afternoon when the fishermen come in to eat. I am proud that I can now pay my staff daily wages and manage a business that serves my entire community”.

Her success stands as a vivid example of how targeted training and inclusive financial support can turn individual potential into community-wide economic stability.

YISA is a partnership program with the Mastercard Foundation and consortium partners led by Farm Africa, designed to revitalise Kenya’s blue economy by integrating young people into high-value aquatic trade. Within this collaborative framework, Echo Network Africa Foundation (ENAF) focuses on the socio-economic elevation of young women. ENAF’s role is to facilitate the transition from precarious labour to stable entrepreneurship by providing specialized training in loan management and savings strategies.