When Mashal started its work in Bari Imam, the management soon realized that a change in the mindset was imperatively needed to effect a long-lasting change. The parents did not feel encouraged to send their children to school, for they thought they were more useful working as labourers and wage-earners. Due to the multiethnic makeup of the community, there was no coherent and organized effort to bring stakeholders together and brainstorm issues around education. The first task the school management was presented with was to influence the minds of the parents and mobilize them towards sending their children to school. Mashal’s first branch offered education to both girls and boys to promote gender equality and provide equal educational opportunities to all gender groups. The first batch of students at the school reflected the ethnic composition of the community and consisted of children of economic migrants and refugees from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, Afghanistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Sindh. Promoting discipline among students was a challenge at the beginning as it was the first opportunity for them to work together in a formal environment. Emphasis was laid on social cohesion and resilience through trainings and lectures to promote health group behaviour among them. This strategy bore fruit as soon students realized the importance of learning together in a cordial and healthy environment.