The Freedom Centre is one of 7 programs (Freedom Centres, Edu-care, Vision Rescue, Treehouse (boys), Treehouse (girls), Activity Centre and Business Development Centre) that sit under the Cross Culture umbrella brand. All of these programs work to make a positive difference in peoples lives.
Ultimately we would like to have Freedom Centres situated within communities all across India. Currently we have one Freedom Centre, with a second under construction.
The difference with our program is that it is self-perpetuating, one student funds another. This works the following way (diagram to demonstrate the below);
Understanding and integrating within the communities we work with is integral to the success of our programs. Over the years of the Freedom Centre's life we have created and fostered these connections.
Once we have identified the need for a Freedom Centre we then source the external funds to set up a Freedom Centre. This is the only point in our process where we require external funding. The average start-up cost for a Freedom Centre is $20,000 AUD and set-up time varies from 6-12 months. The start-up cost includes, but is not limited to; infrastructure materials, furniture and equipment, rent, wages and utilities until the students are employed and can start paying the course fees back (see more information about this below). You can find out more about how you can support a Freedom Centre here.
Once built we then start operation of a Freedom Centre. Initially, the focus is around building a community hub which establishes trusts within the community. We then start offering educational programs where students can enrol. The student program and fee structure works like the below;