Professor Tim Noakes’s Banting dieters may be feeling cash-strapped in Janu-worry month‚ or are disinterested in his campaign to convert poor South Africans to protein-rich meals. The Noakes Foundation opened a crowdfunding appeal in November 2015‚ with the aim of getting 15‚000 “banters” to each donate R100 for a goal total of R1.5 million.Uptake has been slow‚ as the campaign has so far netted R25‚400.The Banting on a Budget programme was piloted by the Noakes Foundation in the community of Ocean View in Cape Town last year.To combat the belief that Banting is expensive‚ they set a budget of R30 per day. Instead of the pap‚ chips and bread many poor South Africans survive on‚ Noakes advocates they consume meals comprising livers‚ kidneys‚ pancreas‚ brains‚ bone marrow and pig trotters.The foundation states that it was “dramatically successful – 98% of the candidates lost weight‚ inches‚ felt better and many who had completed the programme normalised dangerously high blood pressures within five weeks”.The Noakes Foundation said a community intervention costs R120‚000 to set up and manage. With R1‚5 million‚ their goal was to fund at least one community per province in South Africa in 2016.Of the donations trickling in‚ most are from people offering testimonials to Noakes’s diet.“Thank you Prof Noakes and the team‚ for your willingness to make this available to all of South Africa. My husband and I have been Low Carb High Fat for almost three years and feel healthy and fit‚” Bev Streng wrote‚ while Chris and Isabel Laas posted‚ “Banting is brilliant! We are both thriving on it”.Donating R1‚010 each are Sue Kell – “Hooray to proving that this is not merely a rich man's eating plan” – and Green Elephant Backpackers‚ stating‚ “Wonderful to support this initiative supporting our communities eat real food which is good for their health and pocket”.Other programmes requesting donations on the BackABuddy fundraising website include the Masiphumelele Fire Fund and SANParks Honourary Rangers..