Kate founded The Dinkenesh Fund in England in 2000 to help needy animals in Ethiopia (Charity Registration Number 1091225). She named the charity after her donkey, Dinkenesh, who walked almost 500 miles across the Ethiopian Highlands with her in 1999. Dinkenesh has several meanings in Amharic: 'she who is first', 'she who is great', 'she who is beautiful'...
The Dinkenesh Fund's objectives are to prevent cruelty to and to relieve the suffering of animals in Ethiopia. The Fund does this by:
(1) financing projects for animal population control, vaccination and de-worming;
(2) rescuing distressed animals, including working with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority to return captive primates to the wild;
(3) paying for transport, food and medical treatment for neglected, mistreated, sick and injured animals in need; and
(4) promoting education in the compassionate treatment and humane handling of animals.