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Former Congresswoman Takes Her Philadelphia-Based Women's Project To World Stage

By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In addition to world leaders meeting at the United Nations, the Clinton Global Initiative is also having its annual meeting in New York City. A former area Congresswoman is meeting and greeting to further her cause.

Philadelphia-based Women's Campaign International was founding in 1998 by Marjorie Margolies with an eye toward empowering women in some of the world's poor and troubled areas. One project in Liberia has helped expand production of a unique cloth which generates jobs and sales..

"The financial part of what we do is extremely important," says Margolies. "We understand that once women have any kind of financial independence, they're put in a completely different category."

Margolies admits that means treading sensitively in some cultures, while making the most of the confluence of the UN and the Clinton meetings...

"The Clinton Global Initiative understood early on that with the world leaders here it was almost silly to not have it at the same time because so many of them make an impact," she says.

Margolies says the Campaign seeks to evaluate its efforts in creating transformative leadership.

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