Ministry Update: CEMIPRE (Chile)

CEMIPRE is a gospel-centered ministry serving blind and visually impaired people in Chile. The ministry operates in three municipalities, providing rehabilitation, skills training, Bible study, and counseling. It addresses the profound loneliness and suicidal ideation common among those who lose their sight, teaching them Christ and their value in Him.

After years of faithful work with both great times and dry times, 2025 brought an explosive wave of interest in CEMIPRE. Founder John Rug described the growth: “All of a sudden it seems like there’s this humongous wave of interest, finally, in this ministry.” People are realizing “blind people exist, and they actually are image bearers” with value beyond being “immediately associated as a beggar on the street.”

John Rug reports seeing “greater spiritual interest on the part of our usuarios (users)” — the blind and low vision people receiving services. More people are receiving services at CEMIPRE as the ministry becomes known through hospitals, ophthalmologists, word of mouth, municipalities, and universities.

Three municipalities now partner with CEMIPRE, genuinely asking, “How do we interact with these people?” CEMIPRE has provided training to municipal staff, universities (including dental students learning how to interact with people with disabilities), and other institutions. They teach simple but crucial skills: touch the shoulder, say their name, speak to them like a normal person, and never use the common degrading term “menos valido” (less value).

CEMIPRE’s founder recently counseled a woman from a rural background who had just lost her sight and was thinking about committing suicide. “This is not uncommon,” comments Rug. He connected her with a nearby Anglican church, emphasizing that “what really gives the sense of true community is Jesus Christ,” and that the church provides solutions to the tremendous loneliness driving blind people to suicide. They are alone all day until relatives come home at night, making their CEMIPRE day “something very, very special.”