Rajesh Kumar Thapa
29 years old · Sintra (construction camp near development site)
Construction worker
Persona: South Asian Construction Worker
Rajesh Kumar Thapa
Quick Profile
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Rajesh Kumar Thapa |
| Age | 29 |
| Gender | Male |
| Location | Sintra (construction camp near development site) |
| Occupation | Construction worker |
| Education | Secondary school (Nepal) |
| Housing | Shared worker accommodation (employer-provided, 6 men per room) |
| Family | Married, wife and daughter (5) in Kathmandu, parents in village |
| Voter Status | Nepali citizen - CANNOT vote |
| Time in Portugal | 2 years |
Background Narrative
Rajesh came to Portugal through a recruitment agency. The agent in Kathmandu promised good wages, proper housing, a path to residency. The reality is more complicated. The wages are better than Nepal—he sends home €500/month—but the conditions are harsh. Six men in a room. Twelve-hour days in summer heat. Portuguese he barely speaks, learned from YouTube and colleagues.
He's part of a wave. Portuguese construction needs workers desperately—housing crisis means building boom means imported labor. Nepali, Indian, Bangladeshi men fill the gaps Portuguese workers won't. They're visible on construction sites across Lisbon, less visible anywhere else.
The isolation is crushing. His daughter is growing up without him—he video calls when he can, but the time difference and exhaustion make it hard. His wife manages alone, waiting for the money he sends, waiting for him to return or for her to join him—neither seems close.
Portuguese society barely registers him. He's a worker, not a person—useful for building apartments he could never afford, invisible otherwise. He doesn't understand Portuguese politics, doesn't follow the news, couldn't name the president. What matters: wages get paid, visa gets renewed, family stays fed.
He's heard about other workers whose agencies disappeared, who got deported, who were injured and sent home with nothing. He prays, tries to follow the rules, hopes for a path to permanence.
Economic Situation
| Aspect | Detail |
|---|---|
| Income level | Low (€900/month base, variable with overtime) |
| Income source | Construction wages (agency-mediated) |
| Financial stress | Moderate (sends €500+ home monthly) |
| Housing cost burden | Employer-provided (deducted from wage) |
| Economic trajectory | Uncertain—depends on contracts, documentation |
Values Profile (Schwartz Framework)
| Dimension | Rating | Expression |
|---|---|---|
| Self-Transcendence | 5 | Everything for family; helps fellow workers |
| Self-Enhancement | 3 | Wants success for family, not personal status |
| Openness to Change | 3 | Left everything; but didn't choose adventure |
| Conservation | 4 | Strong family values; religious (Hindu); respects hierarchy |
Top 3 values: Benevolence (family), Security, Conformity (follow rules)
Moral Politics Frame (Lakoff)
Primary frame: Not applicable—outside Portuguese political frame
Expression: Rajesh's worldview isn't organized by Portuguese political categories. He thinks in terms of: Will I be paid? Will my visa be renewed? Is my family safe? Portuguese political debates are noise he doesn't understand.
Information Ecosystem
| Source Type | Specific Sources | Trust Level |
|---|---|---|
| TV | None—no access | N/A |
| Online | Nepali YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook | High |
| Social Media | WhatsApp (worker groups, family), Facebook | High |
| Community | Fellow Nepali workers, agency representative | Very High (workers), Low (agency) |
Media consumption pattern: Primarily Nepali-language content. WhatsApp for everything—family contact, worker organization, news from home. Gets Portuguese information filtered through worker networks. Doesn't follow Portuguese media at all.
Relationship to Portuguese Politics
Voting Status
- Nepal has no reciprocity agreement with Portugal
- CANNOT vote in any Portuguese elections
- Would need naturalization (5+ years residence, language, etc.)
Political Awareness
- Near zero awareness of Portuguese politics
- Knows workers have been targeted in some rhetoric
- Doesn't know candidates or parties
- Politics is a luxury for people with stability
Top Concerns (Ranked)
- Family separation: "My daughter doesn't remember my face sometimes."
- Documentation: "If my visa has problems, everything collapses."
- Work conditions: "Twelve hours in August sun. Some men collapse."
- Wages: "The agency takes their cut. Sometimes money is late."
- Health: "If I get injured, what happens? Who pays?"
Hopes
For himself:
"I want to bring my family here. Or save enough to go home and start a business. One or the other—but not this in-between forever."
For his family:
"I want my daughter to go to good school. My wife to not work so hard. My parents to have medicine when they're sick."
For fellow workers:
"I hope the agencies treat us fairly. That Portuguese people see us as workers, not problems."
Fears
Personal fears:
"Injury. Deportation. My wife giving up. My daughter forgetting me. Growing old far from home with nothing to show."
Fears about Portugal:
"That they don't need us anymore. That the rules change. That we're sent back before we've earned enough."
Deepest fear (often unspoken):
"That I'm wasting my life. Years in a foreign land, building houses for others, while my own life passes. That I'll never hold my daughter again."
"In Their Own Voice"
How he'd describe his experience:
"Portugal is work. I don't know Portugal—I know the construction site, the room I sleep in, the video calls home. Portuguese people seem okay; they don't bother us. Some workers had problems—agencies that cheated, injuries not paid. I've been lucky so far. Inshallah—I mean, by God's grace—it continues."
What he'd want Portuguese people to know:
"We're not here because we want to be away from home. We're here because there's no work at home. We build your buildings, clean your streets, pick your fruit. We just want to be treated fairly and go home someday with something to show."
On his daughter:
"She's five. I've been gone since she was three. On video she shows me her drawings, her toys. She calls me 'Papa' but sometimes looks confused, like she's not sure who I am. That's the price. I pay it for her future."
Scenario Response Predictions
Note: Rajesh would likely not have opinions on specific candidates. His engagement with any scenario would filter through: Does this affect my visa? My job? My ability to send money?
| Scenario Element | Predicted Response |
|---|---|
| Anti-immigration rhetoric | Fear, uncertainty—might it target him? |
| Labor protections | Hopeful if it means better conditions |
| Economic crisis | Terror—he'd be sent home with nothing |
| Integration programs | Skeptical—does it actually reach workers like him? |
Notes for Scenario Development
- Represents invisible labor force building Portugal
- Extreme isolation from Portuguese society
- Agency-mediated existence—employer controls housing, visa, wages
- Family separation as defining pain
- Language barrier nearly total
- Could interact with: fellow workers, agency representative, Portuguese supervisor (limited), video calls with family
- In "Day in the Future" vignettes: construction site, shared room, money transfer, late-night video call, injury of colleague