When our team found her at the end of last week, she was in an absolutely wretched state — completely collapsed from exhaustion at a brick kiln, with workers trying to force her to stand with slaps and kicks, so she could continue pulling her heavy load of bricks. But Grace was too weak to lift her head or even open her eyes.

We knew immediately, of course, we weren’t going to leave her behind. Our team made a firm stand, forming a protective ring around her until the truck arrived to take her to safety. After pleading with her owner, we were thankfully able to free Grace from this pitiful existence at the kiln and bring her to our new Maverick’s Donkey Sanctuary in Kabul.

Despite the deep wounds on her back and legs and severe malnutrition, Grace is making an amazing recovery already. She's healing, gaining strength, and learning to trust again. She also took an immediate shine to our other recent rescue, Beauty (remember him from a couple of weeks ago?!), and we hope they become firm friends soon.

Grace's story is a powerful reminder of why we do what we do and why we must keep on educating and lobbying for better care and treatment of these hard-working animals.

This Christmas, we've decided to launch a double sponsorship package for Grace and Beauty – two incredible and much-loved horses, but rescued from depressingly similar circumstances. You can help support their continued recovery and lifelong care as a little Christmas present to yourself or a loved one, perhaps.

But, if you'd like to support animals like Grace sooner than that - please consider sponsoring one of our animals already on the programme, or sharing Grace’s story today.

We say it a lot but, honestly, every single penny or drop-in conversation about Nowzad helps us continue our mission to save these graceful and very beautiful souls.

https://www.nowzad.com/get-involved/sponsor-an-animal