A stateless mother of 10 at Rundu is finding the going tough as she waits on the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare to approve the children's social grants.

Katarina Matjayi, who resides in the Ndama Informal Settlement, narrated her struggles to nbc News.

Matjayi's struggles started after she gave birth at the age of 16.

By the age of 37, Matjayi had seven children already.

And the arrival of triplets three years ago increased the number of her offspring to ten.

After giving birth to the triplets, Matjayi was assisted with baby formula by the Rundu State Hospital until the children turned six months old.

This is no longer the case, and the 40-year-old mother now faces an uphill battle, resulting in two of the tripplets suffering from malnutrition.

"It is very difficult because I am unable to go out and look for menial jobs; I am just sitting here looking after these kids; life is really difficult; I really fear that one day I will lose these kids to malnutrition because I am unable to provide healthy meals they require," she explained, adding that "if anyone is willing to assist, I need foodstuffs and blankets because, with the coming winter, we really suffer from the cold, especially these triplets; it is very cold."

Although Matjayi is stateless, the children have acquired birth certificates through their fathers and have since applied for government social grants.

The Rundu Town Council's Councillor Nicholaus Ndumba is of the opinion that the town's Mayoral Fund could also be used to assist the less privileged temporarily.

"Let me tell you that last year we launched the mayoral fund, and yes, we have that instrument, but it's been a white elephant since it was launched. What are we doing with it?"

Officials of the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Social Welfare at Rundu say the approval of social grants for the children could, however, be delayed due to the backlog.

Matyayi's children are between the ages of 24 and 3.