In this cramped apartment in eastern Mosul an Iraqi grandmother is living off handouts to feed and clothe her 22 grandchildren.

Some as young as two.

Their fathers - her sons - were killed by Islamic State.

Now it's a fulltime job for Sana Ibrahim al-Taee to care for their children with little help from the state.

Rent, food, clothes and schooling depend on donations and charity handouts.

In poor health herself, she's desperate to hear if the government will provide pensions for her sons, who worked in the military and police (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI GRANDMOTHER CARING FOR 22 ORPHANED GRANDCHILDREN, SANA IBRAHIM AL-TAEE, SAYING: "I hope that the authorities will give pensions and housing for those orphans, because I am not going to live for 100 years.

I will die because I'm sick.

If I live for this year, I may not live the next year.

I want to be assured about them, I want a house for them, nothing more." Two of her sons' widows also live in the four-bedroom home; they are seeking work as servants.

Al-Taee has provided death certificates for three of her sons but said the other two were buried in mass, unmarked graves.

That means they're classed as missing rather than dead, so she can't apply for their pensions.

It's a common problem for families in parts of the country which were controlled by IS.

(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI GRANDMOTHER CARING FOR 22 ORPHANED GRANDCHILDREN, SANA IBRAHIM AL-TAEE, SAYING: "When Daesh militants seized our areas, they destroyed us.

By God, they humiliated us.

They killed our sons and nothing's left." The militants were driven out by U.S.-backed Iraqi troops in December; but the government has said it will need up to 100 billion U.S. dollars to rebuild the cities.