Using a case example of an innovative sanitation solution in a slum setting, this study explores the usefulness of the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique in a program planning and evaluation context. Using a qualitative image-based method to map people's mental models of ill-structured problems such as sanitation can aid program planners and evaluators in understanding how a program can fit the reality of beneficiaries. The technique is a tool for investigating what beneficiaries think about specific problems a program is aimed at solving and their underlying beliefs. The results offer a comprehensive hierarchical value map of different types and levels of insights into parents' thoughts and feelings about school sanitation and their child's well-being, often expressed as desired values, goals, or end states. Based on the results, a discussion is provided about the usefulness of the technique in the given context.