For many people in North Macedonia, Toše's charity work is as much a part of his memory as his voice. He did not treat it as a side project: he toured the country with benefit concerts and lent his name to causes long before it was fashionable for pop stars in the region to do so.
UNICEF roles
In 2003 he became a UNICEF regional goodwill ambassador. In September 2004 he was appointed a national goodwill ambassador for UNICEF in Macedonia, and on that occasion he received the Mother Teresa Humanitarian Award. He recorded the song "Za ovoj svet" ("For This World"), written by Mladen Marković and Vesna Malinova, which became the UNICEF anthem in the country.
Concerts that built and equipped
After returning from vocal training in New York in 2003, he held charity concerts in towns across Macedonia. One of the concrete results fans still mention is his help in equipping the haematology department of the Children's Hospital in Skopje.
His last big concert was itself a benefit. On 5 October 2007, at the city stadium in Skopje, more than 25,000 people attended a charity concert co-organised by USAID and the Ministry of Education to raise funds for the reconstruction of schools. Diplomats and ministers joined him on stage.
Recognition
When he died eleven days later, UNICEF, the US Embassy, USAID and the EU mission all issued statements. The government named him an honorary citizen of Macedonia, and in January 2011 President Gjorge Ivanov awarded him a posthumous Order of Merit citing his "sincere and deep humanism".
How fans continue it
Fan groups often mark his birthday and anniversary with donations, blood drives or support for children's causes rather than with flowers alone. If you organise something in his name, please:
- give through established, registered charities and say clearly that the initiative is your own;
- never imply that the family, the Memorial House or UNICEF endorses your event unless they have said so in writing;
- share results openly so others can follow your example.
Our dates page lists the days fans usually choose.