AN Oxford family have featured in a programme which follows Apprentice star Saira Khan on her journey to adopt an abandoned child.

Sobia and Amjad Afridi adopted seven-year-old Sabrena and three-year-old Shariq from the Edhi Orphanage in Karachi, Pakistan, when the children were just babies.

The couple, from New Marston, are shown helping Ms Khan and telling her about their experiences on BBC2 programme Adopting Abroad as she travels to the same orphanage.

The first part aired last night and the second part will be shown tomorrow night.

Ms Khan, from Summertown, decided to adopt from Pakistan after struggling to conceive naturally and after hearing of the thousands of baby girls abandoned at orphanages across the country every year.

Sabrena Afridi was one such child.

The Rye St Anthony school pupil was abandoned at the Edhi Orphanage as a newborn and adopted by the Afridis within weeks. Although her story is not fully known, the couple tell Sabrena her parents wanted a better life for her than they could themselves provide.

Mrs Afridi said: “We offered Saira help through the process and put her in touch with our lawyer. We explained how it all worked and said how important it was to get medical check-ups.

“We agreed to be in the programme as long as we could raise awareness of Sabrena’s condition.”

When she was brought back to Oxford, Sabrena was diagnosed with blood disorder thalassaemia, or thal, a condition which can lead to life-threatening anaemia. She is now on daily medication called Exjade.

Many of the children abandoned at the Edhi Orphanage have serious conditions such as hepatitis.

But thankfully Ms Khan’s adopted baby Amara, now six- months-old, is in good health.

The 41-year-old said the Afridis had given her invaluable help.

She said: “They were instrumental in helping us understand the process and what to expect.

“We were very grateful for their help.”

Ms Khan, who already has a son Zac with partner Steve Hyde, said life was going well with Amara.

She said: “I’m pretty sad that I have had to take her away from her home country, and that she doesn’t know who her parents are. But then I’m happy that I’m able to provide her with a loving, caring home.”