With the worsening living conditions of the less fortunate, who live in corrugated iron shelters in Namibia, the face of poverty regularly produces resilient individuals who, on a daily basis, struggle to feed their families.

76-year-old Sarah Bryner lives with a family of four adults and nine children in Mariental's Ndonga informal settlement.

Her entire family is unemployed and depends on her meagre pension grant for all their needs, including the children of her offspring.

"There is no assistance. The lack of support from the toddlers' absent fathers has worsened the situation, making it my responsibility to take care of their daily needs, even if the fathers get paid, they do not contribute."

Another challenge Bryner faces is the lack of school material support for the two teenagers, who have been out of school since Grade 1 and are now idle around the streets of Mariental.

The poverty crisis in the Mariental and Hardap regions in general has been a concern among regional leadership, including government institutions and non-governmental organisations.

Bryner is among thousands of pensioners who are still eager to see the pension increased to three thousand dollars because this will ease her situation.

Currently, there are also a number of programmes aimed at redressing the root causes of poverty and other related problems.

The situation of Sarah Bruner is but one of the daily challenges faced by pensioners in their struggle to make ends meet, as they remain the main breadwinners in many Namibian households.