The Rachel and Leah Center, unofficially known as The Red Center, is a center established to house and train Handmaids. It is named after the Biblical Rachel and Leah, whose story provided inspiration for the role of Handmaids as breeders in the Republic of Gilead. The Red Center is so nicknamed due to the fact its primary inhabitants are Handmaids, who are required to wear red. The Center is run by the Aunts.
The Red Center is located in what was once a secondary school. It has new fencing with barbed wire, guarded by the Angels. The Handmaids are under strict surveillance at all times - even being accompanied by an Aunt when they use the toilets - and are not permitted to leave unless they are to be assigned to a Commander. The Handmaids live at the Red Center when they are not on assignments. In addition to housing the Handmaids, the Center is also where Handmaids are trained and indoctrinated in gilead's belief system. All fertile women, particularly those considered 'subversive', were rounded up and sent to the Red Center when Gilead was first formed.