When Ruth was offered a permanent job as a server after two months of volunteering at De Nieuwe Poort Rotterdam, she was thrilled. She had already gained quite a bit of hospitality experience when she lived in Spain, but when the Colombian Ruth saw her relationship fall apart, she moved to the Netherlands with her daughter. She ended up on welfare, but to her delight she was able to work again at De Nieuwe Poort.

She works on weekdays and is free in the weekends, so she can spend time with her daughter. Ruth works hard to ensure that her daughter can go to college after high school, a chance she never got. That’s why she ultimately wants to return to school herself as well, to study computer sciences in Spain.