After eight years, My Brothaz H.O.M.E. Inc. has expanded its operations from Savannah, Ga., to Augusta.

My Brothaz H.O.M.E. (Helping Other Men Excel) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide HIV/AIDS prevention education and support for those infected by HIV/AIDS. The majority of the group's funding comes from the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health: HIV Section.

"We were founded based on the fact that at the time, in 2000, Savannah had the second highest reported HIV/AIDS cases in the state," said Mark Douglas, executive director and co-founder. "There was no other organization specifically geared toward working with men. So, the other founders and I wanted to be a catalyst for change and start a movement based on HIV/AIDS prevention."

It was for a similar reason the organization expanded its operations in February to include an office in Augusta, he said.

"We were able to garner more funding from the state Department of Human Resources to expand our program and when looking at locations, Augusta was tops on our list," he said. "It had a lot to do with the fact that Augusta, as of June, has the second highest number of HIV/AIDS cases outside of Atlanta."

As of June, the East Central Health District, which includes Richmond County, had 2,515 reported cases of HIV/AIDS, according to the Richmond County Health Department.

Since My Brothaz H.O.M.E. opened an office on Broad Street, the organization has reached 1,200 people in the Augusta area through its many services, which include community outreach, health education, prevention case management and one-on-one counseling.

In collaboration with other local agencies, My Brothaz also provides service referrals for those infected with HIV/AIDS.

The organization has also expanded its initial target group to include women and youths.

Mr. Douglas said he hopes more people in the community will join the mission in the new year.

"People are still not quite fully informed about the epidemic and we have to educate them so we can beat it," Mr. Douglas said. "The way to beat it is to meet people where they are through community outreach and bring awareness to everyone. But we can't do it alone. We are going to need the help of the entire community to beat this."