Here you will find who takes part, why the challenge is worth running, and how to judge whether the time is right.
Who takes part
The challenge is for the mums of madrasah students. These are the parents of children at the after-school or weekend madrasahs that most mosques run. The charity invites several madrasahs to take part, and each one nominates a group of mums.
It works best when:
- each group is about ten mums from one madrasah, with three to five madrasahs taking part;
- the mums in a group already know each other through their children’s classes;
- every mum is willing to take on a real physical challenge;
- every mum has agreed to take part freely.
These are women who would not usually sign up for something like this. They are not fitness enthusiasts. A few keen walkers or runners in each group do no harm.
Why nominate
Nominating is better than open sign-up. It reaches women who would never put themselves forward.
It also echoes something true about displacement. Refugees do not choose their hardship. A community invites, and a mum chooses to say yes, with her eyes open.
Organisers should nominate thoughtfully. Choose women who will contribute to a group, who will benefit from the experience and who have the will to see it through. Tell each one that she is being invited because someone believes she can do it.
Many nominees will hesitate at first. That is normal. Give them time, answer their questions honestly and let them say no. The next section explains how the charity reaches the madrasahs and how nominations work.
Health and caring responsibilities
This is a physically demanding event with a night on a hard floor, so it needs honest health checks. Ask each mum to seek medical advice before she commits, and tell her plainly what the challenge involves: cold, wet, effort and a lack of sleep.
Each mum completes a form with a health declaration. It should cover pregnancy, recent injury or illness, medication and any condition that affects effort or temperature. Some conditions will rule a mum out. Others will simply need a conversation with the first-aid lead.
A night away is also a real request of a mum with a family. She should talk to the family early, and check the childcare, the school run and the other pressures on her time before she says yes.
Why mothers
Most mothers run on unrecorded effort: the early starts, the juggling, the quiet fixing of everyone else’s problems. Few ever see it measured, or thanked.
This challenge asks a mum to carry something visible for once. She carries a rucksack through mud and water, and she carries her group on her shoulders when the others flag.
Mothers are also at the heart of many refugee journeys. They make quick decisions, protect their children and keep hope alive, often with almost no warning.
Muslim history gives us a model. Hajar, mother of Prophet Ismail (peace be upon them), ran between two hills in a barren valley, searching for water for her baby. Pilgrims retrace her steps at every Hajj. She stands for sabr, patient perseverance, and for trust in Allah.
Why a challenge
Sympathy for refugees is easy to feel and easy to lose. What the body has felt is much harder to shake off.
For one day, the mums step a short way into lives that are not theirs. It is only a sample, nothing here equals the real thing, and we say so openly.
Why the charity leads
A charity-led challenge has real strengths. The charity brings trained people, safety standards and a clear cause. It can show the mums what their effort will pay for, and it can introduce them to the people the money will reach.
It also carries real responsibilities. The charity must be accurate about what it can promise, careful with the money and honest with the mums about what the day involves.
Most charities will not run the course day alone. They will work with a venue, a course provider, a minibus company and a caterer. Choose partners with a proven record, ask for references, and agree in writing who is responsible for what.
Remove barriers, not challenge
Too many events assume women need a gentler track, a softer tone and a smaller obstacle. Tough Mother assumes the opposite. These are capable adults who have come to test themselves, and the course should test them.
Do not lower the standard because the participants are women or wear abaya and hijab. Change only what makes the course unsafe or undignified:
- female guides, instructors and marshals wherever you can find them;
- private spaces for sleeping and changing;
- footwear with real grip;
- plain rules for stopping, and a simple way to opt out of any obstacle.
Leave the obstacles at full height. Do not trim the route or offer an easier line because someone looks delicate, and do not coax. Talk to the mums as you would to any adult athlete.
Is it right for you now?
This is demanding to organise, and the timing matters. Before you commit, ask yourselves honestly:
- Do we have a staff lead and a team with the time to run this over several months?
- Can we contract and manage a venue, a course provider and a minibus company?
- Are our safeguarding, health and safety and insurance arrangements ready for an overnight stay and a water crossing?
- Do we have enough guides, with at least one trained first aider on the day?
- Have we a reliable venue for the evening and the overnight stay?
- Are we ready to treat the mums as serious participants, not as guests?
- Can we cover the costs without putting the cause at risk?
If any answer is “not yet”, hold off. A well-prepared challenge a season later beats a rushed one now.
Sensitivity to personal experience
Some mums may have lived through displacement, bereavement or hardship themselves, and the evening presentation and the meal on the course may come close to home.
Talk privately to anyone you think may be affected. Let her sit out a talk or an activity if she wishes. Nobody should have to revisit her own story for the benefit of the group.
If a mum has to withdraw
Mums do drop out, for health, family or work reasons. Call on the reserves each madrasah has nominated, and keep them in touch with the training so they can step in. Brief any late replacement fully, and make sure she has completed the health form and had time to prepare.